Nerevar's Journey
by Yaoicreator
Summary: YAOI [DagothNerevar] Alright! Before you look at that pairing and run away, there is a twist! Dagoth Ur is NOT like the one you saw and had to battle. This is a story about the early years before the Third Era of Tamriel. It is a story about the young Tri
1. Chap 1

This is YAOI Dagoth/Nerevar Alright! Before you look at that pairing and run away, there is a twist! Dagoth Ur is NOT like the one you saw and had to battle. This is a story about the early years before the Third Era of Tamriel. It is a story about the young Tribunal and the King. It is a story about betrayal and love, agony and happiness. It is the story about Nerevar's Kingdom.

Author's Note: Hello everyone, and thank you for deciding to read this story! Have fun and enjoy!

Oh, and at the beginning, it starts at the end of the main quest, with my own character (don't worry, it wont be long until the REAL Nerevar comes )

Chapter 1: Unique Transformation

As I, the Nerevarine walked towards the towering Ghost Gate - to face my biggest challenge yet, and determined to free the island of Vvardenfell from the evil hold that Dagoth-Ur has on it. I had to wonder, what is it that made me so unique, extraordinary...? I am sent on an epic quest that no one even thought of attempting, and not even Vivec succeeded. Why has Dagoth-Ur, countless times haunted my dreams? Yet…not offensively, he was telling me of the previous friendship we had, compelling me to leave Vivec's cause and unite forces with him.

I am all too confused, if all the information that Vivec gave me was correct, there would be no reason for Dagoth-Ur to think that I would accept his invitations. And yet, Vivec was very concerned, told me not to agree to anything that Dagoth-Ur might offer, and not to believe what he says. But that brings me to wonder, why would he be so worried? I presume that he does know that I have always fought for a good cause, and would never side with evil.

This quest is as meaningful to me, as to Vivec, because not only that I want to protect this land, in which presumably my ancestors were. But also, I can't let down all of those that believe in me, I can't let down the Ashlanders, because their freedom and well-being depends on me. They would be the first to fall under Dagoth-Ur's reign of death if I shall fail.

That brings me back to musing about the information I got from Vivec, he said that I was their…leader, or king? Many different versions were presented to me, and I don't know how I should choose which one to believe. What most people believe though, was that I died as a warrior, king, or…maybe was murdered. – This version was of the Ashlanders, and I seem to have put my trust in them, after all, they were the ones from whom I heard of the prophesies, they tested me, gave me words of wisdom and taught me valuable lessons. They were telling the truth, wrapped in riddles and puzzles, making me understand the purpose of my existence. They were not corrupted by the civilized ways of others; they were living in the wild, hunting, gathering, and helping one another. Even though they accepted gifts of money, it was only a formality, something that people could give as a sign of respect.

I cannot say the same about Vivec though, and the rest of the 'Living Gods'. I don't believe that they are the true gods, I never did, and meeting Vivec face-to-face proved my opinion. He had a lot of reasons to lie… - I'm not saying that he did – maybe just not revealed the whole truth to me. But he thinks himself the true God of his people, and they worship him in return.

I would have liked to unravel all the mysteries that bother me at the back of my consciousness, nagging and constantly pleading to be unmasked, pleading me to seek out the truth. But I am not able to comply, few people know the truth, and even fewer would ever decide to tell anyone.

I am abruptly brought out of my musings as the enormous Ghost Gate appears into view in front of me. It has two guarding towers and incredibly high, gigantic posts with sculptured faces and a mesmerizing silvery blue fence. It is seemingly liquid as thousands trapped souls shined and swirled, creating a natural barrier to ward off the oncoming flow of diseased and mutated monsters coming from inside Red Mountain.

I stopped in front of the lever that opens the first part of the Gate. I had some health potions, which I'm sure are going to be needed, there was not much else that I should have taken…only my favorite Daedric Dai-Katana, and my heavy armor, which is decorated with brightly shining green glass rock and provides quite a strong protection against the blighted monsters' weapons and claws. I have decided that I will not be staying at one of the guard's towers, even though I could have used a warm shelter from the blight storm over the night. Since it took me quite some time to journey to the Ghost Gate. I left Balmora, my hometown -as I have come to call it- at dawn, and arrived here at the first signs of a blackening sky.

I could have used the rest that the guards have to offer, but I am too eager to enter the forbidden Red Mountain, eager to slay the upcoming demons and taste the ash filled air. I want to find who I was…. who I _really_ was…. and I'm eager to gain this information from a most ironic source, from my strongest adversary, my biggest enemy – yes – from Dagoth-Ur himself…. ironic, is it not?

I allowed my gaze to fall back onto the stone lever embedded in the triangular rock. I sighed, slowly exhaling the air and reached towards the rock to push the cold stone lever. The pedal slid backward surprisingly easy, and the loud sound of metal screeching echoed in the near empty wasteland. It indicated the opening of the first gate. So I stepped forward and through the opening. Then moving closer to the second lever, I placed my hand on it and without so much as a second thought, pushed it. This time, the bar seemed to slide back slower, opening the last gate and revealing the blighted wastes of Red Mountain.

As I walk through the last gate, the foul repulsiveness of the entire location strikes me, overflowing my senses. I inhale and hope for some air to rush into my lungs, but instead I can taste the sandy ashes molted with searing heat and foul stench. The flaming red sky obscures all light, and the never-ending blight storm brings deathly wind. The decaying odor fills all my airways and seeps into my lungs, making it hard to breathe.

I am rudely brought back to my senses as the nearest Ash Slave decides to fry me alive by using his magic. Fortunately I was fast enough to catch him off guard as he was in the middle of casting the spell. I quickly took out my sword and brought several deadly blows to my opponent before the corpse fell and the eerie stillness grew once more. Nothing but the deafening crackle of the wind was heard in the surroundings. So I drew back my blade from the still corpse, and started walking towards my first destination…

Odrosal – it is my first destination located in Red Mountain. I was told that there I'm going to find Keening, along with a horde of blighted monsters and an ash vampire. It is time I see if I was guided to the correct location. As I move on the scorched surface of the mountain, it seems that several Daedra noticed my presence. My acute hearing sharpens as I carefully move and wait for the upcoming attack. Soon enough the Daedra showed up, seeping out of their hideouts in hope of catching me unaware. No such luck, I quickly noticed them and began defending myself as the horde of monsters jumped out and started attacking me. I successfully countered their attacks and defeated them all too soon. They left me with several wounds, but not deep enough to threaten my well being, I decided not to worry myself with the petty injuries, guessing that my health potions will be needed later on.

My injuries did not slow me down as I approached the chilling entrance to Odrosal. The frightening Deadic structure was looming above me, its very appearance sent chills down my spine. I reached towards the door and slowly opened it, entering the foreign hall. The place felt no different then the burning ashen wasteland on the outside of Red Mountain. As I watchfully stepped on the plated ground of the room, the entrance door slid shut behind me. I paid no attention to it as I continued to move forward, my long sword in a tight grip of my defensively outstretched hand. The whole room was dark and dull, but the rowdy sound of the blighted wind had ceased here, blocked off by the thick walls of the structure. As I neared a door that leads to a currently unknown location, I heard sudden voices, or more correctly, growls echoing from the surrounding walls. Before I knew it, a cluster of Daedra and monsters emerged out of the shadows and aggressively tried to claw me. Thankfully I was quick enough not to get mortally wounded, but only several cuts and scratches, as I prepared my own onslaught of deadly moves. After the smoke and debris cleared, many corpses lay on the ground, and my wounds needed urgent tending.

After I healed, I continued my invasion of Odrosal, moving deeper into the twisted domain of the main ash vampire. After several long and tormenting hours, I have finally gotten to a small room, enclosed with walls and inhabited by only one enemy…Dagoth Odros…the one from whom I have to receive the blade Keening. Receive – I kind of doubt that this kind of exchange would occur, I am quite sure that I will have to take the blade by power and not diplomacy. The next battle was agonizingly long, I had to use all my skills and combine them perfectly only to place one accurate hit onto the undead flesh of my adversary. Once I placed the hit, it wasn't enough, many more followed, and four-fold as much was rained upon me. By the end of the battle, when I saw that my challenger was weakening, I had used every ounce of my power to deal the last deadly blow to him, efficiently destroying my opponent. I quickly healed some of my deeper and more deadly wounds and sheathed my sword as I reached with great anticipation towards the gleaming weapon in the corpse's pocket. As I drew out the blade of Keening, it shined ever so brightly in my hand. One artifact collected, one to go.

With a determined smile, I left Odrosal, fighting my way towards my next destination…Vemynal…where I was told that I would find Sunder, the last artifact that I have to collect before facing Dagoth-Ur himself. An excited smile crept onto my face once again as I approached the second strange looking stronghold. This was Vemynal. Without hesitation I opened the crooked door, entering the unfamiliar location. As I proceed deeper into the structure, I had to fight several groups of undead that tried to stop me. It seems that their countless unsuccessful attempts at slaughtering me resulted in their discouragement of trying any further…or so I thought…until I stumbled upon a compact room with various Daedric artifacts and a particularly interesting center of attention – Dagoth Vemyn- yes, the dreaded ash vampire was there, along with a large group of various monsters.

I nearly stumbled backwards from the frightening reality that was presented to me. The cold eyes of the undead stared back at me, unflinchingly not revealing any thoughts or motives. I gripped my sword tighter. How can I defeat all of them? I had to use all the power that I could summon to defeat Dagoth Odros alone…and now there is a room full of Daedra and one tough ash vampire? …My train of thought was cut short; as my senses comprehended that my enemies moved to attack me. I cringed in pain as they tore into my flesh, but I quickly regained my senses, and began deflecting their attacks. I moved fluidly and gracefully, and to my surprise the horde of Daedra was quickly cut down as I fought through the haze of battle. Soon there was only one creature opposing me and still standing his ground…Dagoth Vemyn… the fiend used several damaging spells to unleash poison and weakening onto me. That had slowed me down somewhat, but through the fog of pain I continued to slash at the opposing enemy, skillfully dealing deadly blows to him. As the battle raged on, time seemed to cease, because I don't recall how long it lasted before I drove my blade deep into the flesh of my enemy one last time…as I inhaled a wisp of ashen air to fill my aching lungs, I glanced towards the floor, seeing the ash vampire sprawled on the ground –Dead- my last obstacle in front of Dagoth-Ur was gone. I crouched down near the corpse and reached into his robes, pulling out a rather heavy weapon…..Sunder……I found the last artifact! I felt immediate relief and let out an exasperated sigh. At long last, I am ready to face Dagoth-Ur! But my joyful train of thought was broken as I felt the pain of my quite serious wounds hit me full force.

After I quickly healed, I noticed that I had not much health potions left…. that can't be good. With all the battles that I have gone through, they were not the hardest; the most challenging one was still up ahead of me. I will need to be in my full health and restore my fatigue before I head onward, but I can't even –rest- in this damnable place! I sighed again, but this time in irritation. I stood up and exited Vemynal, I continued to fight my way towards the main stronghold at the center of Red Mountain. Finally I reached my last destination, the entrance to Dagoth-Ur's stronghold.

The odd looking massive door was decorated with different Daedric writing and ancient scripts seemed to be burned to the core of the stone itself. The appearance of the colossal structure sent doubts into my mind…my recent eagerness had all faded…seemed to seep out of me, as if pulled out of my consciousness along with all cheerful thoughts, leaving me gasping for air as a chill ran down my spine. I was starting to doubt if I was ready for this…if I was ready for the final confrontation…but something akin to a foreshadow raced through my troubled mind, rooting me to the spot while at the same time urging me to move forward. I felt as if I was both dreading and anticipating the confrontation that was about to happen, something told me that this is the place where I will find my past, my purpose of existence, and most importantly, the truth – of everything.

As if on cue I moved forward, my mind nearly blank, save for the emotions running through me. The door seemed to slide open before I had the chance to even touch it. I entered, as if pulled by some magical force into the elongated halls of the chilling stronghold. My perception seemed to shrink into a tiny perspective, altered by the incomprehensible feelings that battled inside of me… I was suddenly pulled out of my dazed state as a soft voice spoke my name…not exactly my name, but the name of the one that I was a lifetime ago… "Nerevar…welcome to my palace!" There was a slight pause in which I noticed that it was unusually cold in this place, a bright contrast to the searing heat outside. Then the voice came back, but slightly louder this time. "I have been waiting for you…for a very long time…" I blinked in surprise as the voice materialized in front of me in a shape of a golden mask, the one that haunted my dreams. Though the mask didn't last long and vanished quickly after speaking to me again. "Follow your senses Nerevar…and you shall learn all you desire…" And with that I was encouraged to take on a faster, more eager pace as I moved through the dull and unwelcoming rooms towards the brightly shining enormous door at the North side of the hall. As I neared the door, I immediately felt the cold subside, warmth filling my senses and drawing me closer to the brightly decorated door. Up close I could see the strange markings on the door, which looked like some kind of inscriptions, spells, or riddles written in a foreign language. The door had a strange feeling of timelessness, as if what lay inside had never succumbed to the irresistible pull of time itself.

The voice came back again, louder yet. "Don't hesitate…open the door to your past…" And I complied, outstretching my hand to reach the knob on the warm door. As soon as my fingers touched the flaming hot substance, the door flew ajar; pulling me inside the brightly illuminated room beyond…at the same moment, scorching heat enveloped my whole body, seemingly burning me to the very core of my being and pulling me to the unknown depths of abyss. My mind could not comprehend what happened next, as my whole body seemed to transform, changing my very existence. – Then I knew only darkness.

I do not know for how long it has been, but when I opened my eyes, the heat ceased to scorch me and I was standing in an ancient looking but strangely comforting room. I noticed that I felt rather odd, my body seemed to undergo some change, I surprisingly glanced at my hands and noticed that I was wearing different gloves…hmm…strange…I looked around the room and quickly spotted a nearby mirror. I hesitantly stepped in front of it and immediately gasped in horror. – WHAT!- I am who! With…with golden skin like the Chimer? With… short unruly and upheld purplish black hair? My hair's purple highlights matched so perfectly with my purple wide eyes! I ran a hand through my hair, checking if it was me that I was seeing in the mirror. There was no doubt about it; the identical image in the mirror did the exact same motion. After I was somewhat less horrified by the appearance change that I have undergone, I noticed the royal armor that I was wearing, with a very interesting long sword in my hand. Then it dawned on me…is this place…my image…is it me? The one that I was in my past lifetime? The image that I'm seeing in the mirror is Nere- …Before I could finish my thought; the amazingly soft voice came back, as if reading my mind. "Yes Nerevar…it is your true image. Azura was right when she said that she would bring you back to me…" I quickly turned away from the mirror, facing the source of the heavenly voice.

Suddenly I see an incredibly handsome man in front of me…that is surely not what I expected…the owner of that voice is surely Dagoth-Ur. He had spoken to me through my dreams and in this stronghold…that handsome man cannot be him. He has shoulder length silky black hair, tucked behind his long Elven ears, and several strands loosely hanging over the sides of his face. He is surely a dark elf with ashen dark gray skin and bright red eyes. Suddenly he took a few steppes closer to me, and though every logical thought told me to hold out my weapon in a defensive move, and be weary of this …man…that is presumably Dagoth-Ur…I was unexpectedly content at his presence, as if a long time of friendship preceded the hard times of hostility. Then I was again brought out of my musings as he spoke. "Oh don't look so surprised, with that awestruck expression on your face. Of course I couldn't show you my true self anywhere but in this magical room…but you still don't remember anything do you…? A pity." I took a step back and slowly replied. "What are you talking about? What is this room and who are you? You are not Dagoth-Ur." He looked at me in mild amusement before his warm laughter filled the space between us and engulfed the whole room with its richness. "You do not believe me that I am Dagoth? Well, I might as well refresh your memory…my sweet Nerevar…" He quickly moved through the distance between us and in less then a heartbeat he was already incredibly close to me…so close that I could feel his sweet breath on my face… "Let me show you…your past" He gently voiced, as he unexpectedly leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.

I didn't have enough time to even react to the sudden action, or even ponder or draw one coherent thought as blackness engulfed me.

Note: Thank you so much for reading my first Chapter. Any comments would be highly appreciated. Thank you again!


	2. Chap 2

Note: First of all, thank you SO much for the reviews! Reviews are my air and food! You people are great! And I took into consideration the things you said, thank you for pointing out my errors . I do remember Dagoth's first name now lol, and I WAS about to continue the chapters in third person either way lol but thank you for the notice, its great that you give me some information on how to make my story better. And thank you all again.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter 2 – Dwemer enemies.

It was a sunny day, small animals were lurking outside the castle gate, and the guars roamed freely in the calm lands of the kingdom. Nerevar stirred in his bed, comfortably wrapping all of the covers around him and not noticing his partner's whine of protest.

"No, give that back! Has it not occurred to you that I might want some covers too?" The source of the voice quickly snatched all the covers from his sleeping counterpart and grinned. That awoke Nerevar with a start, and he turned to face a grinning Chimer. Then a sly smile crept onto his face and he grabbed the covers while trying to get them loose from the other's hold.

Soon they were both laughing and Nerevar found himself on his back with the other Chimer pinning him down, while all the covers fell to the floor. "Hey! That's not fair, Voryn!" He chuckled and tried to put on a serious tone, but to no avail. Dagoth smiled and leaned down closer to him. "What's not fair? I caught you, so I get the covers!" His smile widened and he leaned lower, closing the distance between them and lightly brushing his lips over Nerevar's.

Nerevar closed his eyes, slightly tilting his head up and kissing Dagoth eagerly. He brought his hand up to tangle his fingers in Dagoth's silky hair. After several moments of bliss they reluctantly broke the kiss.

"…I think that we should go to the dining room." Nerevar said and chuckled, "Wouldn't want Sotha Sil to get all worried again." At that Dagoth laughed, "Yeah, last time we were late he panicked like a crazy guar!" He stole another quick kiss from Nerevar before getting up from the bed and putting some clothes and armor on. Nerevar yawned and stretched on the bed, sitting up and getting off the bed as well before putting on corresponding attire. He wore a bright armor with golden decorations, adored with glittering rare ruby stones. As he finished dressing he looked at Dagoth, who wore partly black and silver armor decorated with dazzling green glass. They glanced at each other and exited the room.

When they arrived at the dining room, the king's generals were seated around a circular wooden table, made from imported cherry red bark and decorated with a golden star design on the smooth surface. The star design had five corners and each of the tribunal was seated accordingly. As Nerevar and Dagoth approached, the seated generals got up to welcome their king and comrade.

"Hail Nerevar, Voryn." Almalexia greeted.

"Good morning, had a pleasant sleep?" Sotha Sil spoken to the two approaching men.

"Bright dawn, friends." Vivec welcomed and smiled.

Dagoth nodded in acknowledgement while Nerevar yawned, "Yeah…I wouldn't have minded to get some more sleep." All five of them set down at the table and the servants quickly rushed into the room, bringing various breakfast plates.

"Unfortunately, we have quite an urgent matter to discuss…" Vivec informed them as he took a sip of the sweet Hackle-Lo leaf tea. Nerevar looked up from his plate, "What is it? The Dwarves trying to attack our mines again?" Vivec shook his head, frowning slightly, "I am afraid it is worse, some of my agents found that they are stationed in a series of caves near by, planning an attack. Quite a large amount of them are stationed there, it would be prudent to take them out as fast as possible."

Nerevar sighed, they were at war with the Dwarves as far back as he can remember, as much times as he tried to make peace, it seemed that their king just wanted to destroy the Chimer. Not that it would be easy, the Chimer are a formidable foe, but peace seemed a much better option then a pointless war. "Alright, I'll go there as soon as I can…maybe I can negotiate with them, if it's a big settlement, someone important must be in charge. So I might persuade them" Sotha Sil cut in by quickly countering the subject, "Nerevar, when will you understand that those rowdy inventors would much rather behead you at first sight, instead of having a peaceful conversation. Not to mention their deep hate for the Chimer..." Almalexia quietly nodded in agreement as the table became silent.

Nerevar glared angrily at Sotha Sil, "I don't care what you think, but there is no such thing as an entire race not wanting peace! And before you interrupt me again—" He violently stood up from his chair, rattling the dishes on the table in the process, "I am going to that settlement right this instant!" Nerevar turned to leave, noticing that Dagoth silently got up from his seat to follow him. After he took a few steps towards the large doors leading towards the hallway, he stopped as he heard Vivec call out for him.

"Nerevar! Wait!" Vivec stood up and Nerevar turned to face him, "I will come with you too, and let us together rid the caves from the Dwarves—" Nerevar cut him short with a sharp answer. "I don't need any help." And with that Nerevar quickly turned around and continued walking towards the door, leaving the dinning room and heading towards the stairs down. As he approached the stairs, Dagoth remarked harshly, "That fool…he doesn't understand anything about diplomacy, neither one of them does, really." Nerevar nodded sadly and sighed, "Yeah…I just hope they will at least let me try to make peace…"

They started moving down the stairs, which were spiraling downward in a most dizzying fashion, their broad steps shaped angularly and attached to a central column of ebony. This was the most straight foreword way to get to the bottom of the King's castle, unless you wanted to open any random window and use your abilities to fly to the bottom. The walls were made out of thick bricks, barely diminishable even by means of magic. Although on the inside, ancient scripts of the Chimer marvelously decorated the walls, and they held different designs painted on them from gold. The floor was coated with ebony and a shimmering red carpet seemed to find its way in every corner of the castle.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, several guards passed by and greeted them before continuing with their duties. Nerevar glanced around to make sure that there was no unusual trouble and there wasn't. Everyone was busily running around to perform their duties, all the guards were patrolling the castle, all the servants were serving guests, and all the guests were enjoying themselves. Yes, it was a usual day indeed.

After the quick glance and affirmation of the situation, Nerevar continued to quickly move across the room, reaching the gigantic double doors. These were the doors that protected the entrance to the enormous castle, the doors that lead to the core of the city. These doors, on so many occasions stood closed and frightening, they had powerful inscriptions and unmatched magic powers that didn't let any of the enemies to enter. These guardian doors were once locked to keep hordes of enemies outside – now they stood ajar, open and welcoming. The gentle breeze from the outside could be felt through the large gape between the twin doors. Nerevar breathed in the cool and refreshing wisp of air before stepping outside and into the courtyard of the castle.

In the courtyard, stood numerous clusters of guards, and each squadron had a separate lieutenant to gain the best advantage. This arrangement was not always necessary, but a while ago the Dwarves became more violent then before, and started attacking unsuspecting villages. So for the safety of the villages and cities, troops had to be ready all the time, in case a battle broke out in the nearby villages.

Nerevar moved down the steep stairs and across the courtyard, nodding and greeting the lieutenants. "Hail Lord Nerevar, warm day to you Lord Dagoth, are there any news?" Nerevar stopped and Dagoth answered, "Yes, some troubles in the Northern caves." The lieutenant seemed eager to help, but Nerevar caught the note of nervousness in his voice. "Well! It is just your luck that we are stationed right here and have nothing to do! Let us help you clear out the caves." Nerevar smiled and shook his head, "No, there is not need, thank you for your help but I'm sure it is not that much of a problem." The lieutenant seemed quite relieved at the answer. "Well, if you need us any other time, just let me know." Nerevar nodded and turned to continue towards the outside gates.

The guards near the gates noticed the two lords walking towards them and they hurriedly started clearing the obstructed exit for them. Soon the gates squeaked and slowly opened outwards, revealing the lush landscape of their kingdom.

They stepped through the gates, heading towards the caverns to the north. As they passed several hills, they reached a dark forest. It wasn't as large as the forest to the south, but it held a large amount of unfriendly creatures, lurking in every shadow and behind every tree. Fortunately, they mostly attacked at night since they didn't enjoy the few rays of light that broke through the dense leaves of the trees above. Nerevar carefully walked down the battered path that most directly led to the northern exit through the forest.

The shadows around them seemed to be constantly in motion, moving closer and farther away from them.

They continued to stealthily move through the forest – when suddenly Dagoth stopped He heard several clumsy footsteps in the shadows. What ever made that noise was defiantly not familiar with this forest, and definitely not one of the creatures creeping in the shadows. If anyone spent at least some time in this haunted forest, they would know that one unnecessary sound could easily bring all the attention to them, and then they are dead meat for sure. Nerevar quickly looked at Dagoth for confirmation and received a nod before quietly casting a Detect Humanoid spell. As the bright sparks surrounded Nerevar, the illumination lighted up a wide area around them No humanoid creatures around – "Strange, they are quite quick, even though clumsy." Nerevar whispered as the illumination darkened and disappeared. "Yes…they probably used some teleportation magic." Dagoth replied, and they quietly resumed following the path.

After several long hours, the end of the forest was starting to be seen. The forest was not as dense, fewer trees blocked the sunrays and the shadows kept on moving farther away from them. Soon there were left only a few trees scattered around the area, the green vegetation covered the ground instead of the rocky floor of the forest. The air felt clearer, the sky blue and the atmosphere less threatening.

Nerevar smiled and gazed at the bright sky, "Finally we are out of that dreadful place." Dagoth let a smile slide onto his face as well, "Yes it is much more bearable here, besides…the harmless shadows wont harm you here..." He chuckled and didn't notice how Nerevar playfully, yet affectively pushed him, making Dagoth hit the nearest tree. Dagoth laughed and grabbed Nerevar in a headlock. "Hey, I AM right!" Dagoth exclaimed and Nerevar chuckled, "Yeah, well! I'm not afraid of them!" Dagoth smiled and let go of Nerevar. "Yeah, you do have a point." Nerevar smiled, "Yes, you better not question ME!" Dagoth chuckled again. "Yes, my King…" and that earned him another hit to the stomach. They both laughed and soon continued walking in the Northern direction.

Soon they reached a half-circular formation of tall rocks, shaped as an arc. At the middle of the arc there was a pond with clear water in it. Just beyond it, in one of the tall rocks that create the arc, there is a carved entrance to the Northern series of caverns. Behind the rock that bears the entrance, a wide mountain could be seen, stretching quite far up the hill. Although these caves were not as known for their width, as for their depth. The mountains contains some from the upper series of the caves, while most of them are located underground.

They carefully crossed the clearing and reached the pond. Suddenly, they heard someone yell from the left – "They are here! Here they are! Get them!" – In an instant, a whole bunch of Dwarves came from seemingly nowhere and surrounded them. They were all fiercely glaring at them, with their weapons out, and it looked like they would attack at any given moment—And so they did, wordlessly rapping their weapons before aggressively starting to run towards the two Lords – They had little time to react, but Nerevar quickly drew out his sword and Dagoth was already in the process of calling upon ethereal powers. As the attacking force flayed their weapons at them, some were instantly knocked back by Dagoth's protective magic, while others were slain by Nerevar's sharp sword. Soon the battle was over and Nerevar took in a deep breath before looking at all the mess that occurred around them. Dwemer bodies were laying practically everywhere, and some were polluting the pond's crystal clear water.

"Well…I guess it was one of them that we heard in the forest…" Nerevar reasoned. "Yes, it seems so." Dagoth agreed. They decided to continue their invasion more hastily and they soon walked around the pond and towards the entrance to the caves. The door – if you could call it that – was actually a carved gray rock, it was thick, but it could be opened. "Let me do that." Dagoth said and moved closer to the rock, he quickly examined it and placed his hands on it. He started pushing it, it was as heavy as a ton of bricks, but it was movable. After a bit of struggle, Dagoth was able to move the rock so that there would be a large enough gap for them to enter through.

It was dark inside the cave, but strangely illuminated by bright Dwemer lamps. It was clear that Dwarves inhabited this place for quite some time. They have already installed several pipes with Dwemer writings and some unfinished mechanisms could be seen scattered near the walls. The Dwemer race was very famous for their crafting abilities and their inventions. No other race strived to conquer nature this way. The Dwarves tried to conquer it by non-natural means technical meansbut the Dwemer technology knew no bounds, since their inventive minds always came up with something superb to replace the inferior.

The round wooden door in front of them suddenly opened, but no one seemed to come into their room. Dagoth quickly summoned a wraith as Nerevar stepped towards the next room. As they entered, everything was unusually quiet – something was surely not right – Suddenly a group of Dwemer constructs moved with deafening screeching to surround them. They were various mechanic machines; some rolling on metallic wheels, while others walked and they were all made from yellowish orange and slightly rusted metal. Steam filled the room as some of the constructs seemed to be creating large amounts of it.

As suddenly as the machines appeared, they started moving quickly towards them – and in a most hostile way – their weapons were drawn and they started violently swinging them. Nerevar dodged several attacks before pulling out his sword and slashing at a nearby enemy – the construct didn't seem to mind at all – their metal was like a shield, and Nerevar could barely put a scratch to it. Although Dagoth's technique worked slightly better, he started by throwing flaming balls of fire onto them. But when he saw that it did little to help, he decided to try freezing them and that helped – for a couple of moments – since the machines created searing hot steam that melted the ice. Nerevar started slightly worrying and thinking of a way to defeat them. While they drew back to defensive strategies, which were easier to accomplish since the constructs were heavy and slow, so avoiding the hits was not a big problem.

At the midst of the battle, Nerevar noticed that the machines were not entirely made of metal; they had wiring and cords that probably connected various parts and gave power supply. He smiled wickedly as he quickly brought his up sword and after avoiding a hit, slashed one of the construct's cords on its arm. Steam turned into smoke, as the construct's arm ceased to move and it stumbled backwards. Nerevar took the chance to bring another blow to its cords at the neck and soon the construct was crumpled unmoving on the floor. Dagoth grinned at the performance and cast several stunning spells as he took out his own gleaming sword and started aiming to cut the machines' cords.

Soon enough the room was full of the dark and obscuring smoke that replaced the steam as the mechanic constructs lay wrecked and immobile on the floor. Nerevar loosened his grip on the sword and let out a puff of air. "That was…interesting…" But Dagoth didn't even have enough time to respond as a bunch of Dwarves came rushing into the room. They looked like they would fall into coma just by glancing at their broken machinery. The Dwarves made some kind of a loud noise, something between a roar and a whine, and glared furiously at both Nerevar and Dagoth – figuring that the intruders had something to do with the destruction of their favorite guards – "How dare you! You both intrude! And then even destroy our property! You wont live to see the next sunrise!" One of the Dwarves shouted that and the rest took out their finely crafted weapons and charged towards them. "They seem to be quite angry, I think…" Dagoth said with a chuckle seconds before steel clashed against steel.

Through the haze of battle, Nerevar noticed a door on the far corner of the second room. It seemed to be tightly closed and strange ornamentation was placed upon it, so it looked like a door leading to some important place. A smile crept to his face as he realized that their leader must be behind the door…So after they finish this wave of foes, they can enter it – but wait – Its much better if they don't realize that someone spotted the door, it would be easier to catch them surprised. He glanced towards Dagoth and shouted loud enough for him to hear over the battle cries "Hold them distracted". Dagoth grinned and nodded, quickly turning Nerevar invisible for a short time before knocking back a group of Dwarves.

Nerevar quickly slipped across the room and into the next, seeing that the Dwarves didn't notice his absence. He reached the small round door with various Dwemer writings on it and cast a spell of fire to burn through the tightly locked wooden door. His invisibly disappeared just in time, right when he entered the small room. The room was definitely made for someone of importance; the walls of the cave were decorated with different shelves that held Dwarven materials and artifacts. The floor was amazingly covered with dark ebony and though not much furniture was present, a large …it seems…. Alter was placed at the middle of the room. It was a large block of perfectly shaped rock with four curved stones that were attached to the Alter itself, in each of the four corners. Nerevar was brought back from his musings about the interior by a sharp voice. "Chimer! Your kind is not welcome here!" Nerevar turned his gaze to the far wall and spotted the one Dwarf that he was searching for. It was the general and the head of this settlement, and he was the only one that could at least begin thinking about negotiating. Nerevar straightened his posture and moved a step closer to the Dwarf, but not any closer, he knew how they took every gesture and movement as a hostile attempt to begin battle. "I came to negotiate, not to battle… I wish us to talk reasonably about the status of peace –" The general interrupted Nerevar as he bellowed his own opinion, "To NEGOTIATE! There is no need for such foolish things! What are we? Not warriors! We are conquerors, and we DON'T like Chimer! Nothing that you can offer or tell me will change my mind! And you will pay dearly for invading our camp like that!" Nerevar involuntarily took a step back. The Dwarves were definitely not going to negotiate…again. He composed his posture and answered more threateningly, "If you are not wishing to make any deals to create peace, I am going to—" Nerevar's sentence was again cut short, but this time by something hitting the back of his head and dropping him unconscious.

After long minutes of battle, Dagoth has defeated the incredible amount of foes that sprang from the next room to destroy him. He was badly bleeding and had several broken bones – but no need to worry – He dropped to his kneed from exhaustion and pulled out a health potion. Usually he didn't use potions, but Nerevar kept on insisting for him to take some, and it paid off… because now he was too fatigued to cast anymore spells. After he got healed, he stood up again and had to wonder where Nerevar was. It took him quite a while to fend off all these Dwarves, and by that time Nerevar should have already found the general and successfully killed him. Though it seems that Nerevar didn't show up yet…and then Dagoth remembered that Nerevar probably tried to negotiate, which he was sure didn't work…and it took him way too long to come back.

Dagoth decided to see the room of the general, and when he reached it the door was restored to its normal state and securely locked. It was not a problem for him as he blasted the door open and entered, gasping in shock at the sight before him.

Nerevar was chained to the high alter in the middle of the room, his armor laying in a pile on the floor while he wore only his golden shirt and black pants – but most horrifying—was that one of the Dwemer priests in the room stood beside the alter, and held a ritual knife that was used for sacrifice. No one in the room noticed Dagoth as the priest started quickly lowering the knife down towards Nerevar.

Nerevar grimaced and closed his eyes, waiting reluctantly for the knife to pierce him – but it never did – As he opened his eyes, he saw the priest with a short sword deep in his chest as he motionlessly fell backwards. Nerevar looked around the room and saw Dagoth standing at the entrance. "Voryn!" The other occupants of the room seemed to have noticed the second intruder too since they started attacking him After a few moments though, the dust cleared and Dagoth stood victorious in the middle of the room. All grew silent and strangely comfortable, as all the threat in the caves was over. The remaining Dwarves that were scattered around the cave are going to flee, knowing that their general was defeated.

Dagoth slowly made his way closer to Nerevar and smiled, "Good to see you unharmed…" Nerevar smiled and replied, "Yeah – mind untying me? This is awfully uncomfortable." Dagoth chuckled and cut the chains that held Nerevar's legs at bay and moved to cut the chains on his hands but abruptly stopped. Nerevar looked slightly confused, "Voryn, release me." Dagoth grinned and answered. "Hmm…actually I wont…I like how vulnerable you look like that, all tied up and not able to move…" Nerevar tried to suppress a smile, "Voryn…. not now! We have to get back!" Dagoth ran his thumb over Nerevar's lips. "Don't worry…. we have plenty of time…" He slowly moved lower and kissed Nerevar, parting his lips and sliding his tongue into Nerevar's hot mouth. The other moaned and whispered, "We really have to…get back…." Dagoth released his mouth and chuckled before removing his own armor, so that he was only clad in black pants and a matching black shirt. He climbed onto the Altar and captured Nerevar's lips again. They both moaned in passion and Dagoth breathed hot air into Nerevar's ear before whispering, "You are so beautiful…my little angel…." He moved back and slid his hands under Nerevar's shirt, running his hands roughly over the smooth muscles of Nerevar's abdomen. He pulled Nerevar's shirt up and started licking his way towards his nipples. Then he pulled back to gaze at the writhing and groaning Nerevar beneath him. Suddenly Dagoth slid his hand into Nerevar's pants, as Nerevar gasped and let out a loud moan. He began slowly and teasingly stroking him as the other writhed and moaned louder. "Ahnnnn….Vorynnn….s..stop…teasing me…" Dagoth smiled wickedly and replied, "So you want the fun part already…" He quickly took his own clothes off before pulling off Nerevar's pants. Dagoth brought two fingers to Nerevar's mouth, as the other eagerly sucked on them before Dagoth brought them down and slowly inserted the digits into Nerevar. Dagoth watched as Nerevar moaned out his name and arched his back, bucking his hips slightly. He started to move his fingers in and out of Nerevar, enjoying the sounds that the other made. But soon he pulled his fingers out of him and kissed Nerevar passionately. Nerevar moaned and gasped, breaking the kiss, as Dagoth violently rammed into him. He started a quick pace and moaned as tight heat enveloped him. "AHH!……V…Voryn!….ahhnn…." Dagoth bit his lip to keep from screaming in pleasure, but frequent moans escaped his lips…Nerevar writhed and screamed with every thrust as he arched his back as he closed his eyes in pleasure. This was complete bliss and with every thrust their pleasure mounted. "Ahhh…..Nerevar….so…..hot…..tight…" Dagoth increased the speed and started thrusting deeper into him as he neared his climax…Nerevar was so tight and hot inside, that Dagoth couldn't suppress his loud moans anymore. After a few eternally endless moments, they both reached completion, screaming the other's name as they both came.

Dagoth collapsed on top of Nerevar, panting and out of breath as they still remained in a few moments of bliss before recovering their breath. After several minutes of motionlessness, Dagoth finally found the strength to reluctantly sit up and gaze at Nerevar, who was still panting slightly. Dagoth carefully reached forward to grab his sword and cut the binding chains on Nerevar's wrists. Nerevar looked up at Dagoth and smiled, "I love you Voryn…" Dagoth returned the smile and leaned down, "I love you too, Nerevar…" He whispered before lightly kissing him and getting off the Alter.

After some time they both put on their armor and were ready to leave the caves, and by nightfall they reached the gates of their castle.

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Note: Wow! That was a long chapter, I hope you all liked it .


	3. Chap 3

Note: Thank you so much for ALL of your reviews! It is pure joy for me to read what you people have in mind! I heard that you thought that my paragraphs were huge eh? Well, lol, there is really nothing that I can do about that, it just comes out that way lol. I'm having a lot of fun writing this and I'm SO happy that you all like it and that you are interested in the plot :)

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Chapter 3 – Nord Invaders.

The dark night sky swiftly changed color and turned into light purple, before narrow golden stripes oozed in every direction, indicating the rising of the sun. The large window of the bedroom was open and the chilly crisp air flowed steadily into the room, lightly moving the silky translucent curtains.

As the morning came, bright sunlight didn't wake the sleeping figure on the large bed. Instead, the royal king turned onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow, it was a very tiresome day yesterday, and he was planning on getting as much sleep as was possible today – regardless – of any plans that others might hold for him. He sleepily stretched his arm across the bed, searching for his companion, but his hand met an empty bed.

Nerevar's eyes snapped open and he turned onto his back, looking around and searching for his lover. After a few seconds of looking around the room, he sighed and relaxed. Dagoth was probably in another meeting…again… He usually didn't wake him up when they were called down for a meeting, letting Nerevar sleep in. That always angered Sotha Sil, but the others didn't mind that Nerevar was late for a couple of hours. He decided that he should get up and grace them with his presence soon. Besides, he won't get to sleep all day either way. So he got up from the bed and strolled across the room to put on some clothes and armor while getting ready to get down.

From the early hours of the morning, Dagoth was forced to attend a military meeting of – as they said – great importance. Though up until now, nothing of ANY importance was discussed. Several of the military lieutenants, as well as the tribunal, gathered around the long rectangular table of discussion, which was decorated with various Chimer ornaments. The chairs were comfortably made out of wood and arranged orderly around the table. Dagoth yawned and stretched lazily in his chair, earning several glares from the rest. When they noticed that Nerevar didn't come with him in the morning, they decided to leave the important matter and not discuss it until he comes. Which left them to talk with Dagoth about vague nonsense that they didn't have the chance to bore him with before…apparently because Dagoth skipped nearly every military meeting that they held. But now he sat with a bored expression on his face – which angered some of the lieutenants – and waited for Nerevar to come, the faster he would come, the faster he would be saved from this unimaginable tediousness.

The discussion was interrupted as the entrance door opened and the subject of their waiting has finally arrived. Nerevar walked into the room as everyone rose from the table to greet him. Nerevar smiled, "Hello my comrades! A beautiful morning, is it not?" Everyone nodded and he sat in his majestic chair at the head of the table. Dagoth smiled and amusingly gazed at the one that saved him from the discussion. "So what news do you bear today?" Nerevar asked and Sotha Sil quickly voiced his disagreement about the king's lateness. "How magnificent it is that you have finally decided to grace us with your presence…it is clear that you do not understand how important these meetings are!" Nerevar ignored Sotha Sil and Vivec took the opportunity to answer Nerevar's question, "We wished to discuss the importance of the stationing for the military forces, and since the Dwemer cities are quite close to ours, it is unfortunate that they still refuse to stop invading our territory." Nerevar frowned, yes…. that was no surprise…. although he has no idea what was the source of their hate for the Chimer, it seems that only something of great importance might pound some sense into their heads. He was brought out of his musings as a lieutenant began talking about some strategies, "In my opinion, we should send patrols to patrol the areas between the cities, so that an attack can be spotted quickly and reported right away." Almalexia contributed to the discussion by voicing her own opinion, "This would considerably weaken our defenses, we cannot take the patrols from our offensive forces and it will do little to help." Sotha Sil seemed to have an entirely different idea, "Why don't we just station a legion in every city?" At that Dagoth couldn't suppress a laugh. "A legion! We won't have enough army for even HALF of the cities that way!" Vivec chuckled as well, "Yeah, we should just send scouts to-"

Vivec stopped in mid-sentence as the entrance door swung open, and a lieutenant with three guards rushed in. They seemed out of breath and the lieutenant quickly gathered his posture before hurriedly apologizing, "My Lord, excuse the interruption but… but the scouts spotted invaders! From the sea to the north! They seemed to have came here since yesterday." Nerevar quickly questioned, "Who? Dwarves? Why would they be in the north sea?" The lieutenant seemed no less panicked and his voice wavered slightly as he answered, "These are no Dwarves, Sire, these are humans from the north…Nords." Vivec stood from his chair, "Nords? How many?" The lieutenant answered quickly, "…Two, or three legions, they settled at the shoreline." Dagoth pondered about it before mentioning, "It's quite a large amount…It seems that their intentions are not too friendly…" Nerevar addressed the lieutenant again; "I want you to send out messengers to converse with the Nords so that we will know what their intentions are." Sotha Sil cut in, "We should send some forces with them just for extra insurance." Nerevar shook his head. "No, we must not appear hostile." The lieutenant nodded and lightly bowed to Nerevar, "It shall be done, my Lord." With that, he and his three guards hurriedly exited the room.

After several long hours of discussing their defensive strategies, Nerevar and Dagoth exited the room, walking towards the enormous flower garden at the castle's backyard. Several guards were stationed at the entrance, where a huge arc made out of mushroom trees hovered above them and indicated the beginning of the magnificent flower garden. As they entered, the sweet scent of fresh and blooming flowers overwhelmed them and made Nerevar slightly dizzy. He continued walking along the brick path where anywhere he would look beautiful flowers can be seen. There were calm blue, bright red and dazzling yellow hues on the flowers that were the closest to the road. The flowers themselves were ranging from ground height to being as tall as two meters. They were in all kinds of different shapes, large and small. The air was filled with shimmering yellow haze and sugary fragrance that seemed to isolate the garden from the rest of the world, making it seem magical and unusual. They have reached a section of the garden where the thin road turned into a large circle before narrowing into a linear road again. The entire location seemed remote, no sounds could be heard other then light humming and buzzing of tiny creatures as the warm breeze swept across the garden. As Nerevar stepped onto the cleared area, two strong arms enclosed around his waist, bringing him closer to Dagoth's muscular chest. Dagoth leaned down and nuzzled Nerevar's neck. "It's such a beautiful place…. it never ceases to amaze me…." Nerevar shivered and enjoyed the tender sensation of Dagoth's ministrations. "Yeah…its quite stunning." He turned in Dagoth's embrace to face him and gazed up at him. He reached up to lightly brush over a loose strand of hair and tucked it behind Dagoth's ear. Dagoth smiled and caught Nerevar's hand before bringing it to his lips and kissing his hand softly. Nerevar smiled wrapped his arms around Dagoth's neck before leaning up and pressing his lips to Dagoth's. They blissfully licked and explored each other's mouths and after a few moments they broke the kiss.

"I think we should…check if the messengers returned yet." Nerevar reasoned as he stole another quick kiss. "Hmm…yeah…we should go, if only this place was not so charming, and you were not so fascinating…" Dagoth grinned and pulled Nerevar closer, while Nerevar chuckled. "Voryn, we really need to get going." He pulled out of the embrace and started walking along the path towards the exit. "But Nerevar…. I bet they didn't come yet either way!" Dagoth complained while he followed him.

Soon they were out of the dazzling garden and Nerevar walked towards the courtyard where clusters of soldiers were positioned. Vivec, Sotha Sil and Almalexia were walking across the courtyard as well, apparently waiting for the news to come. Just as they saw their two comrades, the gates to the castle opened and a battered guard walked into the courtyard. It was obvious that he was scouting the area, since he wore light armor that allowed quick movement over land. He quickly approached the tribunal and bowed, addressing Nerevar. "My Lord, the messengers that you sent…did not come back." Vivec looked confused and asked, "What do you mean? What happened?" The scout replied, "They were not even given the chance to start a conversation…the invaders killed them…" Nerevar gasped, how could they be so brutal! Every kingdom knows that when someone sends messengers, they are not hostile and they just want to conference! No one – not even the Dwarves – killed messengers on sight! That was not even a civilized way of showing hostile intentions. The kingdom that received messengers always informed them of their intentions and sent the messengers back. But killing them? This was absurd!

"I told you that you should have gave them backup!" Sotha Sil loudly voiced. Nerevar glared at him and answered, "It wouldn't have saved them from three whole legions!" Dagoth was no less shocked then the rest, "Why would they do such a thing? It is unthinkable!" Nerevar still looked puzzled and turned to the scout. "Gather two legions as fast as possible, and get them ready to march in several hours." Sotha Sil interrupted him yet again, "Why only two? Send three at least!" After a slight pause Nerevar answered, "We can always call for another legion, besides, we are not going to war – we are only going to evaluate the situation." He turned again to the scout, "Get started on it." The scout nodded and bowed before quickly departing.

They retreated to the castle, each of the tribunal starting their preparation for the mission. Dagoth and Nerevar went up the stairs and into their large room, which was decorated with golden symbols on the walls and outlined with several high stands with candles. At the dark hours of the day, the candles gave the room an extraordinary warm and cozy feeling. Although as the sun stood high in the sky, the candles served as nothing more then decoration. Nerevar walked into the room as Dagoth closed the large wooden door behind them. They moved across the room, towards the closet and started changing into their battle attire. Nerevar wore golden pauldrons with the royal symbol of the moon-and-star that matched his golden gauntlets, which had small designs carved onto their surface. His cuirass held several lines of rubies and engraved patterns adorned the entire outfit. His golden boots had a flawless shape, and several ornaments were etched onto them. Dagoth's outfit was similar, but instead of the radiant gold, his outfit contained mostly ebony and was bejeweled with glittering green glass. His pauldrons and boots had several spikes that gave a malevolent feel to the outfit.

Dagoth grinned and gazed at Nerevar, "So you're ready for the Nords?" Nerevar chuckled and took out his shimmering sword as he started swinging it idly, "Yes…I guess. Well, its not like we are going to fight them anyway…." Dagoth thought about it and replied slowly, "But they violated the most respected law of consultation – I'm not saying that we should attack them – It's just that they don't seem to be friendly, or even respectable in the least." Nerevar gazed at his sword for another moment before sheathing it and looking towards Dagoth. "Yeah…you have a point, but we'll see what we have to do when we get there."

Suddenly a knock came to the door and Dagoth went to open it. A messenger stood in the hallway and bowed slightly as he saw Nerevar approach, "My Lords, the army is ready, the lieutenants await your orders and the other Lords are waiting for your arrival in the courtyard." Dagoth nodded, "Thank you, we will be right down." The messenger bowed again and hurriedly continued to walk down the hallway.

After several minutes Nerevar and Dagoth descended the steps towards the courtyard and stopped close to the gates, where the two lieutenants and the tribunal were stationed. Vivec stepped up to Nerevar and announced, "The troops are ready, shall we start marching towards the northern port?" Nerevar nodded and glanced towards the lieutenants, "Yes, lieutenant Naron, lead your troops behind us and lieutenant Porat, follow Naron's troops." Both lieutenants nodded in affirmation and moved to gather their troops, while the guards quickly started opening the enormous gates before them.

When the gates opened, the tribunal – led by Nerevar – exited through the castle gates. Two legions of soldiers walked in an organized fashion to keep slight distance between them and the tribunal. As they continued marching towards the northern port, the sky unexpectedly blackened. Heavy rain clouds gathered above them, and now dimmed the light as if a gray blanket covered the sky. The weather changed into a threateningly cold and restless ambiance and a few drops of rain fell from the sky. Soon the few drops turned into an unstoppable rainstorm, as cold liquid poured from the heights above.

Nerevar ran a hand through his damp hair, and quickened his pace when after a few hours they approached a large hill that obscured the view beyond it. The ground was dark and muddy, as the pouring rain continued soaking into the soil and creating a slippery mixture of mud. He quickly ascended up the hill and stopped, stunned at what he saw before him.

The rain and condensation created a thick mist that covered the landscape, making it hard to make out what was on the ground. Though the fog was above humanoid height, so it did not obscure the view for them. On the open shoreline, where there was usually only green grass and open wasteland, with several trees here and there – a whole Nordic settlement has occupied the empty land. There were hundreds of armed Nords – Thousands! – All along the shore, as far as the eye can see. The scouts were correct…three legions, no less. Their military camp was set up with several divisions; probably some bases held food and water supplies while others served military purposes. The Nords were already exploiting the earth's minerals and natural supplies. They were cutting down trees already! They were using them to make fire under shelters in order to warm up. They started mining for precious stones, and picking the bushes for delicious fruits! This is outrage! This fruitful land does not belong to them!

The tribunal already caught up with Nerevar, emerging from the top of the large hill, was presented with the same view. "Destroying our land!" Vivec exclaimed and one glance at the rest of the generals clearly showed that they were all just as enraged. Suddenly they realized that the Nords have noticed their arrival as well. Some Nords that were the closest to the hill stopped doing their tasks and ran into the largest hut, in the middle of the encampment. Soon several Nords emerged from the hut, all of them walking behind one particularly important one – probably their leader. He slowly made his way across the field and climbed to the hill where the tribunal stood.

As the Nordic leader reached the top of the hill, he stopped in front of the Chimer generals. "What you doin' here?" He loudly asked. The rain splattered noisily onto the ground below, and the raindrops did little to soften the stranger's features. Now it was easy to determine what the Nords wore. They seemed to have animal skins and fur as armor, instead of steel – though it seems that from where they come, it is more important to stay warm then to wear heavy battle attire. Their weapons were mostly various axes adorned with Nordic decorations.

Nerevar calmly stepped forward, "Greetings, I am Lord Nerevar Indoril, and you are in no position to ask us of our intentions. You have invaded our homeland, and I demand an explanation." The Nord seemed a bit taken aback by the demand, but he composed himself quickly, "I like this place, it's pretty! We stay here." Nerevar frowned, this was going much worse then he thought it would. Not only that the Nords are dim-witted, they are also determined to conquer this land! "You cannot remain on this land, though we can negotiate of certain conditions under which we might consider an offer." The Nord's voice cut through the air with loud roughness, which was slightly painful for the sensitive Elven ears of the Chimer. "What you talk about! I take land NOW!" Nerevar glared at the Nord and began talking more threateningly, "You are standing on our ancestor's ground, and you are spoiling it and exploiting its riches. This is Chimer land, and you should show some respect to your hosts." The rest of the tribunal seemed quite anxious, it doesn't seem like they would be able to hide their anger any longer. "I don't CARE what you are ELF, this place MINE!" At this moment, Dagoth furiously reached for his sword – but before he could withdraw it, Nerevar's hand clasped onto his to prevent him from taking out his weapon. "I am offering you to consider removing your army from here to avoid a bloody mess. If you do so, I will not attack and I will let you live. If you refuse…the consequences will be dire, mark my words – you WILL be gone." Nerevar nearly hissed the last part, which seemed to faze the Nord slightly but he quickly returned to his usual self, "You will not command ME! I STAY!" Nerevar calmly answered back, "I give you until dawn to ponder on my offer…I suggest you be wise about the answer." Without waiting for further pointless remarks, Nerevar turned and started descending the hill, with the tribunal sending angry glares towards the Nords who in turn were still yelling some incomprehensible phrases. They will set a camp here tonight, until the morning. Nerevar hoped that the Nords will think enough about his offer and come up with the peaceful solution…. though he kind of doubted that their thick skulls could be breached so easily.

The heavy rainfall lightened up, until only a few drops were falling from above. The clouds started clearing from the sky, though some stayed to provide an average rainfall. The sound of the raindrops was less piercing now, and the white mist was reduced somewhat. The nightfall approached swiftly as the troops busied themselves by creating appropriate shelters and tents for the camp. After several hours, the camp was ready. The troops rested in their tents and the slight buzz of chatter could be heard throughout the camp.

The moon stood high in the sky, shining with a soft bluish light that was reflected on all the objects on the ground. All the Lords assembled in a large comfortable tent. It was lighted and warmed with a small fire at the center. Each of them sat around the fire on a large chunk of velvety material that resembled a bed. After a long conversation that stretched well into the night, they decided to call it a day and fall asleep. Nerevar leaned back onto his – so-called – bed and closed his eyes. He tried to fall into the realm of dreams, but he couldn't take his mind off the situation at hand. He turned and tossed for a while, trying to find a more comfortable position to sleep in – maybe that would help him fall asleep. After a long while of attempts, Nerevar opened his eyes and looked around, Vivec, Sotha Sil, Almalexia and Dagoth were all sleeping peacefully. He let his gaze linger on Dagoth, as his loose strands of hair were delicately falling across his forehead and pooling on the pillow below. Just as Nerevar was about to turn back and try to fall asleep again, Dagoth opened his eyes sleepily and yawned. "Nerevar…is anything wrong?" Nerevar turned onto his side and closed his eyes, "No…just can't fall asleep…" Suddenly he felt warmth from behind him as he was pulled into Dagoth's welcoming embrace. Nerevar relaxed into the embrace and breathed in the spicy and enigmatic scent that was Dagoth. This instantly calmed him, making him immediately forget about the troubles that lay ahead of them. As he was drifting off to sleep, he vaguely felt Dagoth kiss him on the cheek and whisper smooth comforting words into his ear.

Dawn came sooner then Nerevar expected, since with the first of the sunrays, Dagoth hurriedly awakened him. "Wake up, it's dawn – Vivec went to check the hill, and there was smoke!" Nerevar quickly sat up in bed, though still sleepily he made some sense out of the situation. Smoke – it is a signal of hostility – attack more precisely. Now if he could only remember what they were doing- oh! His lethargic state disappeared in an instant as he realized what had occurred. He hastily stood up and exited the tent, being closely followed by Dagoth. And there on there hill was – SMOKE – the Nords at least knew one way of global communication. Which didn't make him any happier – since it meant that they rudely discarded his offer!

"Nerevar! They are ready for an attack – all of them!" Vivec informed as he ran up to him and the two lieutenants rushed towards them as well. "Alright, lieutenant Naron, your troops at the left half of the field, lieutenant Porat – your troops at the right half. Keep heavy infantry at the front lines, archers on the edges and behind infantry, medium infantry at the center rows with several strong mages. Keep the wizards at the back rows and not in action as long as possible, the clerks and healers at the back and scattered throughout the formation." The lieutenants nodded and quickly departed to complete Nerevar's orders.

When the army was in position, several Nordic soldiers and their leader appeared at the top of the hill. Nerevar and the tribunal made their way up the hill to stand in front of the opposing leader. "Why have you created smoke, and gathered your forces?" Nerevar inquired. "Because we want to take land!" The Nord loudly answered. Nerevar lowered his tone to threaten the other, "I suggest you leave this land at once! Attacking will not benefit you." The Nord laughed, which was a short and ugly sound. "We take what we want, you UGLY long eared Elf!" At that Dagoth furiously reached for his sword and in a split second the edge of his blade was firmly held against the Nord's neck. "Take that insult back – or will cut your throat…" Dagoth hissed the threat and it seemed to have scared the Nord, since he wordlessly stepped back from the blade before yelling in an earsplitting loudness - "ATTACK!"

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Note: Thanks for continuing to read my story! I hope you liked it! Any comments?


	4. Chap 4

Note: Thanks for the reviews, but I keep on getting less and less! Please please please, if you want me to update faster, you have to inspire me! Lol yes! I get all excited and inspired when I see that someone read my story, so I start making the new one right away. So, if you read it and like it, don't just leave! Lol I bet you can spare several seconds to leave a review and MAKE MY DAY: )

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Chapter 4 – Endless Troubles From the North

As the Nord's piercing yell echoed throughout the open battlefield, silence seemed to follow only briefly before clusters of unorganized Nords voiced their own battle cries and launched across the field. The landscape was nearly flat, with only several small hills scattered around the area. The mild illumination from the rising sun brightened the landscape and created flawless visual conditions. The Chimer army calmly yet quite nervously followed their lieutenant's commands and orderly formed unbreakable rows. The Nordic leader quickly retreated behind his troops and the Tribunal drew their weapons. As the opposing force approached, the Tribunal was shielded by several rows of their own soldiers.

Steel clashed against metallic shields and enraged voices cut through the air as hundreds of soldiers bashed at the front lines - creating a cacophony of sounds. The weather did nothing to transmute the foul atmosphere and roars of almost inhuman voices filled the aggravated field, which in a matter of seconds became a graveyard of Chimer and Nordic soldiers.

The battle raged on and both sides were in almost equal force. The Nords had numbers, but they were not organized properly and attacked almost wildly, blind with rage and bloodlust. Though the Chimer were several thousands less, they had better armor and held their formations, which made following orders easier.

Suddenly, the sky darkened and a sharp sound sliced through the air, but the battling soldiers did not notice as a dark cloud of arrows loomed above them and slowly reached towards the sky before dropping with breakneck speed towards the unsuspecting victims. Several rows of Chimer soldiers were instantly wiped out and Nerevar quickly dodged several, but one pierced his armor at the left arm. He groaned and grimaced in pain, trying to ward off the attacking Nords while trying to pluck the arrow out of his arm. He was failing at doing the latter, until he saw that Dagoth hastily approached him and defended him from several approaching Nords. This could give him enough time to get the arrow out of his arm. He clenched his teeth and grabbed the arrow, sharply pulling it out of his flesh with a painful snarl.

Abruptly he glanced to the sky and saw another upcoming cluster of arrows, this time he deflected the ones coming towards him and yelled towards the lieutenants. "Naron! Porat! Get the wizards to remove the archers!" He watched as several more rows of light infantry fell from the arrows and glanced backward as he saw the wizards levitating above the troops. Several mages cast protective barriers, while the rest aimed their destructive powers towards the enemy archers. Sparks were flying everywhere and soon Nerevar noticed that most Nordic archers were taken down since the clouds of arrows stopped appearing above them.

The balance tipped and changed to be once again in favor of the Chimer, their strict formations were hard to penetrate and healers were trying to heal as many soldiers as possible. The tenths of thousands on both sides turned into few thousands in mere hours, as the medium and light infantry of the Chimer suffered most losses, the healers and wizards suffered significant losses as well – as the Nords seemed to have finally noticed what troops were most vulnerable and important.

The tribunal continued to hack and slash through the opposing Nords. Nerevar – as many others - was mostly drenched in his own and enemy blood, the battle became surprisingly more intense, and he didn't have time to even drink health potions any more. He glanced around him and spotted Dagoth, who was just as injured, Dagoth had his hand on the bleeding wound at his side and continued protecting himself from the unstopping waves of Nords. Dagoth glanced at Nerevar and they exchanged smirks before turning their attention back to the Nords ahead.

The battle intensified even more, which was surprising – since the Chimer had nearly drained all their strength at the first hours of battle – Now the Nords seemed to somehow acclimatize to the strategies of the Chimer and seemed even fiercer then before. This tipped the carefully weighed balance and the favor was at the Nord's side.

The Nords took the advantage and pushed their forces onward, breaching through the carefully formed but exhausted Chimer lines. Though unexpectedly, the front lines of the Nords pulled back and forward emerged Nordic mages. This was unusual – the Chimer surely didn't expect mages at this hour of battle. Though the Chimer's perceptions seemed incorrect – because the mages were quite frightening.

The Nords were probably waiting for the last minute to use them, which worked exceedingly well to surprise the Chimer. The mages quickly started casting elemental magic, mostly frost and cold associated spells – for which the Chimer were not exactly ready. Magical blizzard fell from the sky as all the mages created an intense spell that instantly wiped out several rows of weakened infantry and slowed down as well as injured others. The Chimer healers were quickly called to come behind the front lines, as they started healing the troops as quickly as they could.

Nerevar felt the frostbites of the extremely cold weather that was brought upon them, this surely slowed the troops down – he could barely move his limbs. He looked around for the lieutenants and once they were spotted, he quickly yelled above the harsh mixture of screams and voices. "Get the archers! KILL the mages! Get the wizards too!" He shuddered as another wave of cold air enveloped him and almost numbed him. He glanced to the left and noticed Dagoth, who's wound worsened and he could hardly keep all the Nords at bay. Nerevar rushed towards him and when he reached him, he slew the several Nords that surrounded Dagoth, and the wave of infantry slowed – since the mages were busy casting deathly spells with very self-confident gestures. He hastily pulled a health potion from his sash and opened it, while he grabbed Dagoth's icy cold chin and poured the healing liquid past the other's lips and into his mouth. In several moments, Dagoth's hand pulled away from his healed wound and he smiled toward Nerevar, who gave him a smirk of his own.

Nerevar rapidly felt the freezing cold lift from his body. He looked up and saw the two opposing clusters of levitating mages. The cluster of the Nordic mages was cut in size as the Chimer archers skillfully took them down – while the Chimer mages cast powerful blazes that scorched their enemies and deflected the Nordic frost spells.

After a while, the Chimer mages defeated the Nordic ones and the remaining few hundreds of Nords looked baffled and battered, as they started retreating. The Nordic leader seemed to yell something to his troops and what was left of them started withdrawing from the field. The Chimer lieutenants were about to order their troops to follow the Nords and leave none alive, but Nerevar quickly stopped them and let the surviving Nords retreat towards the shoreline and to their ships.

Soon on the tattered battlefield, remained only the few hundreds of surviving Chimer – less then half of a legion – The odds were against them since the beginning, but they survived, and remained the hosts of this land. The healers immediately began to fulfill their duties as they hastily walked around the field and healed the wounded troops.

Nerevar stood in the midst of the battlefield, looking around at all the bodies scattered around. The afternoon sun burned into his skin, drying the blood that flowed from his various wounds. He shakily sat down and cradled his injured leg, before shaking his head and sighing heavily. "What destruction…death everywhere…" Dagoth sat near him and gave him a reassuring smile, "Well, nothing we can do about it – but on a brighter note, we emerged victorious!" Nerevar returned a tired smile and nodded, "Yeah…at least they will learn their place."

Several healers reached Nerevar and Dagoth and quickly healed them. The sensation was as pleasing as always – like warm butter melted onto the skin – and all the pain smoothly disappeared, as though it could be brushed away as easily as dust. The atmosphere lightened considerably – soldiers were laughing and enjoying the victory – though a deathly stain was etched onto the ambiance as well. The blazing sun was both comforting and yet burning the skin, a reminder of the bittersweet triumph.

When all the soldiers were more or less healed, they were ready to head back into the castle. Nerevar quickly led them back to the large gates, which opened as soon as he reached them. In the courtyard, the lieutenants gathered their troops and led them to rest, while a large banquet was called upon.

The tribunal went into their rooms to get ready for the feast. Dagoth and Nerevar each took a shower and wore comfortable clothes. Nerevar wore knee high golden-red boots with black pants that held golden ornaments and a loose golden shirt that held a red royal design of the moon-and-star. Dagoth wore a similar design of clothes; only his boots were black-green with black pants that had silver designs and a black shirt with silver and green decorations.

"You look great in that outfit…" Dagoth stated and stepped closer to him. Nerevar smiled and brought his hand up to lightly trace his fingers over Dagoth's cheek before leaning closer. Their lips are only inches apart and Nerevar's breath sweetly flows over Dagoth's lips. Then suddenly Dagoth leans lower and presses his lips to Nerevar's, as he moans and pulls the other closer to him. Dagoth's tongue dances over Nerevar's lips, seeking entrance that Nerevar welcomingly granted him. Dagoth moans and tilts his head to deepen the kiss. His hands are already under Nerevar's shirt, exploring the smooth skin underneath his fingers. Nerevar broke the kiss and pulled back slightly, "Voryn…we have to get to the feast." He said in the most serious tone that he could conjure and stole another small kiss from him. "But – Nerevar! – No we don't go to the feast…" Dagoth grinned and started kissing Nerevar's neck, his hands still exploring under the other's shirt. Nerevar shivered pleasantly from the ministrations but he soon pulled back with a smile. "No, we must be there, we must attend the – hmmph –" His sentence was cut short as Dagoth kissed him again. Nerevar removed Dagoth's hands from him and broke the kiss again, quickly stepped towards the door while trying to suppress a chuckle. "No! You're not going anywhere!" Dagoth chuckled and grabbed Nerevar's waist from behind. "No, really, Voryn! This point is not even arguable! You know that we must go…but later…." Nerevar let the sentence trail in a seductive tone. Dagoth purred at the clear promise for – fun – later on, and released Nerevar's waist. "Alright…but that 'later' better be soon." They both chuckled and exited the room.

When they entered the large dinning room, they were surprisingly on time. The rest of the guests and the tribunal were walking around the room and chatting away before settling into their seats at the largely decorated table. Nerevar noticed that the room was redecorated in an astonishingly fast pace, since the whole room seemed to give off a different mood. The candles that hang on the walls brightly illuminated the room and their cool blue hue seemed to create a more relaxed atmosphere. Large royal banners that were used to accentuate the triumph in a victorious battle were hanging from the high ceiling. Servants were rushing in and out of the room as they hurriedly filled and adorned the table with delicious dishes.

As soon as everyone was seated, they started digging into their plates and a light humming sound of chattering voices comfortably filled the room – as a cushioning aura from the slight worry of the aftermath. Several musicians created harmonized music at the back of the room and throughout the opening hours of the banquet. Vivec stood from his seat and raised his cup of Flin and the table became slightly quieter. "My Lords, comrades! Lets drink for the battle, through which against ALL odds, we emerged triumphant! And taught those meddling fools to respect the Chimer!" Everyone else raised their cups and simultaneously exclaimed, "Cheers!" before sipping some Flin. Vivec sat back down and the chatter continued. The servants started pouring into the room again and clearing all the dishes from the table before quickly bringing luscious desserts. Sotha Sil turned to Nerevar, "This is truly glorious…but I do believe that we could have achieved an even – greater! – victory, if you had brought another legion with us. If it was ME that -" He was interrupted as Dagoth countered his accusation, "If it was YOU doing ANYthing…I bet we won't be sitting here now and having a splendid banquet – we would most likely be under those primates' rule." Sotha Sil growled and opened his mouth to continue the unpleasant exchange of ideas, when he was again cut off but this time by Vivec. "Come now, lets not spoil the cheerful spirit of the night! We should rejoice for our success, and not throw insults at each other like a bunch of morons!" Nerevar chuckled, which in turn broke the tense argument between the three. "I think we should relax and eat our desserts." Nerevar informed them and continued to chuckle while Sotha Sil grumpily huffed and turned to his plate. Dagoth suppressed his own laugh and glanced at Nerevar, who gave him a smile.

Soon the hours drove them late into the night and more then half of the guests already left. The music beat slowed, as the music became ideal for the small crowd of Elves. Nerevar and the rest of the tribunal – namely Vivec – were actively discussing the future possibilities of expanding their cities. "- So I thought that we can build more cities to the west and south of here – our population does grow…" Nerevar suggested and took a sip of the Vintage Brandy in his cup. "Yes – good idea, wouldn't want to build on the free land between the villages." Nerevar nodded. Suddenly he slammed his cup of Vintage Brandy onto the table with a sharp motion – as he felt Dagoth's hand slide under the table and over his thigh. He gasped and glanced at Dagoth, who wore a smirk and seductively gazed at him. "Is anything the matter…?" Vivec questioned. Dagoth's hand slid higher over his thigh and Nerevar bit his lip to suppress a moan. "Hmm…. yeah…. everything is alright…. the Brandy is just delicious…" Vivec looked at him with confusion but seemed to be content with the answer. "Well, in that case, would you like to refill your cup?" Nerevar didn't have enough time to reply, as Dagoth's hand traveled higher and lightly brushed over his crotch. A small moan escaped Nerevar's lips. The sound was nearly inaudible so only the two Elves that sat near him could have heard that – Dagoth and Vivec. Dagoth tried to hide his self-pleased grin and Vivec stared at Nerevar in confusion. Then Nerevar suddenly rose from his chair and avoided any gazes, "It's late…. I have to get going." He informed and turned to leave the room, while Dagoth grinned and followed him.

Nerevar exited the room and went up the stairs toward the fourth floor hallway. He was stopped as Dagoth grabbed him and pinned him against the wall. "So how did my little angel like the attention he was getting?" Dagoth purred. "Voryn! I was at the middle of a conversation!" Nerevar said. "But you liked it…" Dagoth countered with a smirk. He grabbed Nerevar's hand and dragged him towards the distinctively large door at the end of the hall – where he opened it and entered their room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Dagoth pulled Nerevar closer and kissed him passionately. Nerevar closed his eyes in pleasure and wrapped his arms around Dagoth's neck. Soon they broke the kiss and Dagoth began nipping and kissing Nerevar's neck, before moving to lick his earlobe and whisper, "You are all mine…." He ran his hands over Nerevar's waist and slipped them under his shirt before capturing Nerevar's lips again. Dagoth moved them backwards, until Nerevar felt the bed behind him, then Dagoth pushed him onto it and climbed above him. They continued to kiss heatedly as Dagoth's hands ran over Nerevar's thighs and he moaned, leaning up. Dagoth broke the kiss and gazed into the passion filled violet eyes of his lover, who was panting slightly.

"You look breathtakingly marvelous…" Dagoth whispered as he leaned lower and gave him a slow kiss before pulling away and taking Nerevar's shirt off. He began licking his way down Nerevar's chest and stomach, then pulled back to take Nerevar's pants off. Soon he undressed as well and leaned over him, as his body slid against Nerevar's, heavy pants escaped their lips. Nerevar felt Dagoth's hand brushing over his inner thighs and spreading his legs. Nerevar gasped loudly and moaned as Dagoth's hand encircled his throbbing erection. "ahnnn….V..Voryn…" Dagoth smirked and kissed him. "Mmm…you like that…don't you..?" Nerevar moaned louder and arched his back as Dagoth's hand moved over his erection. "Ahhh….yes…more…" Dagoth's smirk widened and he leaned down, removing his hand from Nerevar's erection and blowing hot air onto it. Nerevar moaned and panted heavily as Dagoth licked his erection and took it all into his mouth. He continued sucking on him and humming around his erection, making Nerevar buck his hips and moan loudly. As he felt Nerevar reaching his climax, he abruptly pulled back.

Nerevar groaned at the loss and watched with half lidded eyes as Dagoth seductively licked his lips and leaned down to kiss him. Nerevar moved his hands over Dagoth's shoulders, feeling the hot skin damp with sweat under his exploring fingers. "…Nerevar…..mmm…you want more…?" Nerevar gazed up at him and leaned up to capture his lips before spreading his legs wider in an invitation. Dagoth couldn't suppress a pleasant shiver that ran through his body at the mere thought of the things that he will be doing to Nerevar. He brought two fingers to Nerevar's mouth and watched as the other licked and sucked on them. Dagoth moaned and removed his fingers from Nerevar's mouth as he brought them down and pushed them into him. "Uhhhnnn…..Mmm…Voryn…" Dagoth wasn't sure he could restrain himself any longer; Nerevar's moans were driving him insane with need. He moved his fingers in and out of him, moaning as his last bit of restrain was slipping away. Nerevar moaned and bucked his hips, "…Voryn…..please….ahnnn …." At that plea, Dagoth pulled his fingers away and positioned himself at the entrance, before slowly thrusting into him. "AHH….uhhnnn!…." Nerevar arched his back and tightly gripped Dagoth's shoulders. Dagoth moaned and started thrusting harder and faster into him. "Ahhhh! …yes!…ohh….Voryn!" He quickened the pace and rammed deeper into him, making Nerevar moan and scream with every thrust. Soon they both reached completion and Dagoth threw his head back in a loud scream, "NEREVAR!" He collapsed onto of him and they both panted heavily.

Soon they recovered their breath and Dagoth kissed him softly. "I love you, my angel…" Nerevar smiled and stole another kiss before replying, "I love you too…" Dagoth pulled the covers over them and their fatigue took over as in a matter of minutes they both were fast asleep.

In the next few days, everything seemed to follow a usual pattern of events, since nothing peculiar or unexpected occurred. Nerevar and Dagoth were in the training hall, the bright morning sun shined from the open windows and made the enormously large room seem welcoming and calming. There were lots of people in the large hall, they were either sparring with each other, practicing on various targets or just stood around and watched the others. This was the place where people came if they were frustrated, depressed, overjoyed, or had nothing to do. This was the perfect place to get rid of extra energy, to sharpen skills or to bring the mood up. Nerevar and Dagoth came here this morning for a friendly spar - they wore their battle attire and brought their favorite swords.

As they danced to the harmonized rhythm of battle, their swords clashed and sharp reflexes took over their movements. Nerevar launched forward as Dagoth blocked his attack and slashed at him, while Nerevar quickly dodged to the side. They circle each other, searching for a weak spot, when suddenly Dagoth brings his sword up and steps forward, aiming a crushing blow – though Nerevar quickly blocks it and steps to the side, taking his advantage to bring his leg behind Dagoth's and trip him. Suddenly Dagoth finds himself on the floor with Nerevar smiling down at him and holding a sword aimed at his chest. Dagoth smirks and quickly casts a deflection spell, knocking Nerevar backwards. He took this opportunity to get to his feet and bring his sword to Nerevar's neck. He smirked and looked at the mockingly angry Nerevar. "Hey! That wasn't fair, I defeated you, and you cheated!" Dagoth laughed and lowered his sword, "Life is not fair." At that Nerevar had to chuckle and he nodded.

They brought their weapons back into defensive positions and got ready for a second round – When suddenly the door burst open and Vivec came rushing into the training hall. Nerevar watched in confusion as Vivec approached them. "What's the matter? Is everything alri-" Vivec interrupted him almost frantically, "Where have you been? I've been searching for you all over the castle! We have a problem."

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Note: Another chapter up! Let me know what you think!


	5. Chap 5

**NOTE: **

Hello everyone!

Damn - you think, that was a long time of silence from me eh? Well, for that I ask your forgiveness, but all kinds of things have been happening recently to prevent me from writing. Firstly, I had a writer's block – quite a nasty thing if you ask me. lol if you are unfamiliar with the term, lets just say that it's a kind of state in which you cannot write anything!

Well, that was not the only thing that was holding me off, but the school - yeah! DAMN school, I bet you they secretly intend to ask for SO much homework, that my brain is going to boil and melt, before they are going to take and eat it themselves! EVIL teachers! Lol…. excuse my little outburst there, but truly I was unable to write for you guys, and I'm really sorry, been busy, summer school, tutoring, driving lessons, tired, moving to a different house, dying, etc…etc…

Well! Enough about me, and more about you! Thank you soooo much for all of your reviews, they made my LIFE! This is honestly the only thing that makes me incredibly happy, that people are reading and enjoying and telling me that, so that I know!

Alright, enough blabbering, on with the new chapter

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Chapter 5 – A Startling Plan

Nerevar frowned. "A problem?" Vivec nodded, "We should go to the courtyard, they are waiting." Nerevar and Dagoth exchanged puzzled looks and followed Vivec out of the room. Soon they reached the courtyard, where it was unusually crowded. More troops for the army seemed to have been gathered here. Before long, they reached the center, where the most important personas stood – Sotha Sil, Almalexia and the lieutenants. Near the four lieutenants, a woman with tattered robes and a small child were standing.

Nerevar didn't have time to ponder about the situation, when Sotha Sil's piecing voice and glaring eyes targeted him. "You see what they did! Those half-brained primates! A whole village gone! And it's all because you didn't want to pursue them!" Nerevar was still as confused as before and ignored Sotha Sil's accusation, "What happened? And for once why don't you start from the beginning, and not from the end!" Vivec took the opportunity to answer, "In the night, the Nords came back – attacked the village nearest to the shore." Nerevar's expression showed his surprise, "What? We defeated them in battle! All of their three legions." Almalexia gestured towards the woman and child near them, "They are the only survivors, they were able to escape unseen." Dagoth frowned, "I don't know how they could reform so quickly." Vivec nodded, "And their numbers are no less devastating – three legions!"

The bizarre turn of events posed some difficulties. Though the Chimer army was not helpless – far from it, really –they suffered loses of nearly two legions, and didn't have time to recover. They had about five legions to command right this instant, though others could be trained later on. But three should be enough to eliminate their enemies. "First, get the woman and child into the castle and make them as comfortable as possible, then-" He stopped in mid sentence as the front gate was opened once again and three guards rushed into the courtyard.

They bowed quickly, "My Lords, Bartendell – it's being attacked – by more of the Nords, another three legions…" - What? This is hardly possible, only a few days ago the Nords suffered an immense defeat, while they miraculously trained another six legions to attack! This was gigantic by all proportions, and defeating them would be a challenge. But its nothing that the Chimer cannot do…right? The forces at the castle will just have to be divided and sent into the two villages in order to deal with the intruders. But it would be unwise for the tribunal to enter the battle, though no matter how much he wanted to lead his people into the upcoming encounter, he knew that staying at the castle would be the optimal solution. Nerevar's confusion and worry was barely audible in his tone as he delivered the orders, "Gather two legions to hold off the first intrusion of the Nords, and three legions to defend Bartendell."

The lieutenants nodded and each left to complete their tasks. Only five legions were actively ready to battle, and those will go – but the new recruits should be able to finish training in a couple of days, a week at the most. But for now, luck for the Chimer was very much like water for fish.

As the crowd filtered out and everyone began their tasks, Nerevar and Dagoth decided to take a walk in the lush terrain south of the castle. They didn't wander too far in case they were needed, but it gave them some time and space to rethink the situation.

"…In my opinion, the Nords were deceitful – hoping for a quick victory over us, while also preparing for the worst." Dagoth reasoned as they picked a slow pace to walk. The wind was slightly cool, brushing calmingly over his face and gently stirring his hair in a harmonious movement.

"Yes, they might be more cunning than we perceive them." Nerevar said and stopped at a nearby bush, which had a few ripened Belladonna berries. Dagoth nodded, "Underestimation is the enemy of the bold minded." Nerevar squatted down and reached for a berry, that looked dark blue and juicy, before turning to Dagoth and chuckling. "You mean to say that we are bold minded? Impulsive? Underestimating?" Dagoth smiled and crouched down next to him, "Not at all, my king…" He said mockingly, and quickly continued. "But rather far too quick to take action and maybe a little overconfident." He watched as Nerevar lifted his eyebrows in surprise and popped the berry in his mouth before chuckling and smiling, "So you are doubting my commandments?"

"Not precisely…but I would suggest some more caution…or else trouble may be inevitable." Something in Dagoth's voice showed that he was no longer mock playing, but being rather serious. Nerevar nodded solemnly, it was indeed no time to underestimate the Nords since they proved to be quite a formidable foe already, and no one knows what else they might have in store for the Chimer.

Nerevar reached into the bush again and plucked another berry before turning back to Dagoth, "My query to you is, what's the outcome of passiveness and cautiousness? Won't it be more productive to act assertively?" He asked, as Dagoth eyed him amusingly. "Well my lord, passiveness does not always accompany cautiousness, and assertive behavior does not always yield the required outcome." After perceiving the silence that followed as a signal to continue he smirked and continued, "Therefore, balance of those three things should always be present in all circumstances, as such - - " His sentence was cut off as Nerevar pressed the berry past Dagoth's lips and smiled, "I do not believe that I am in need of a history lesson."

The berry was sweet and succulent, with a slight touch of sourness at the end. Dagoth quickly caught the retreating fingers that brought the berry to his lips. He smirked and brought Nerevar's fingers to his mouth before starting to lick and lightly suck on one of them. Nerevar gasped quietly and pulled his hand back, unsuccessfully trying to free himself of Dagoth's grip, which resulted in Nerevar stumbling backwards and Dagoth falling on top of him.

Nerevar chuckled and gazed up, trying to push the other off of him. Dagoth smirked and didn't budge, instead catching Nerevar's offending hands and pinning them to the ground. "No use in fighting me…" He said and his smirk widened. "Voryn! That's not funny, get off!" He said as he struggled in the other's hold.

Suddenly Nerevar stopped struggling and gazed in surprise at the space behind Dagoth. "It's the place…" Dagoth stared at Nerevar in confusion before sitting up and turning around, where he saw what caught Nerevar's attention.

There was a large round area where the grass was unusually short. An enormous tree and two bushes formed a semi-circle with wild flowers adorning the landscape. A smile slowly crept onto Dagoth's face and he stood up to move into the shade of the large tree. Nerevar swiftly followed him and stepped closer to the tree, slightly touching the worn out bark.

"We haven't been here in a while…" Nerevar said, looking up at the mass of the freshly green leaves at the top of the tree. It resembled a Willow with long and thin branches that divided at the top and swept down in a graceful arc. The tree was enormously large, which was an evidence of its age – it lived through at least a few centuries.

"Yeah, but it always keeps the same atmosphere" Dagoth replied, stepping closer to Nerevar, who nodded in agreement. It brought up so many memories that neither of them wished to part with. The tree existed here long before them, but they started taking a liking to it since when they were small children. They liked playing in this place, it looked so different from other locations, so peaceful and quiet, welcoming and warm. The large leaves and branches offered infinite amount of relaxation under the soothing shade and bristling breeze.

"Remember when your dad kicked me out, and you came…" Dagoth asked, while Nerevar couldn't help but chuckle at the memory… "Yeah"

- - - - -It was a day on which Dagoth was in a particularly nasty mood for pranks, which never boded well for anyone else. It was about nine years ago, when they were in their teen years, Dagoth was sixteen and Nerevar was fifteen. Apparently the King and his Generals were having an important meeting in the throne room and young prince Nerevar was not allowed out of the room until they were done.

Coincidentally Dagoth was bored and wanted to play with his best friend, but the meeting seemed to have the potential of spreading over the whole day like butter over bread. So he decided to shorten the meeting by a method that he was sure would work. He stood outside the throne room and closed his eyes, briefly meditating before sensing the presence of his long time pet. In a flash of light and smoke, Dagoth summoned forth his pet Wraith, who looked at him obediently. Dagoth smiled and quietly gave it orders. Soon enough the Wraith seeped into the throne room and was unnoticed until it suddenly shrieked in a high pitched tone and flew into the center of the room.

The look on everyone's face was priceless, everyone drew their weapons in alarm and the generals started yelling something about the castle being invaded. The King and the prince were the first ones to realize that the Wraith doesn't pose a threat of any kind. Nerevar quietly laughed and sneaked out of the room, while the King wore a grim and angered expression.

The Wraith quickly made its way out of the room and disappeared as the door burst open and a furious King, angry at the interruption, went to search for the offender. Dagoth was soon found, as the King knew exactly who to search for, but he wasn't punished in the least since he was the son of one of the most important nobles in the kingdom, not to mention the prince's best friend. Though that didn't stop the King from yelling at him and kicking him out of the castle for the time being.

Not offended in the least, but rather satisfied with the his actions and the disarray it brought, Dagoth chuckled as he and Nerevar ran outside of the castle gates and into the welcomingly lush landscape beyond. Soon they found themselves far from the castle and cheerfully playing tag.

Nerevar abruptly stopped running and looked straight ahead. Dagoth stopped beside him and stared in awe as well. There stood a lone tree, massive from all perspectives. The coarse and rough bark cracked and pealed in various places, showing its age, while the evergreen leaves adorned its far stretching branches. The grass surrounding the tree was lush and unusually short, waving softly like a sea of vegetation in the light breeze.

The sky was a dazzling shade of blue, something between a bright cyan and an azure color, with steaks of pearly white clouds. Though it seemed like the clouds darkened and clustered closer above the semi circle of the tree and bushes in front of them. And created a fissure above the tree, where the bright sunrays were softly emanating to illuminate the tree in a mysterious glow.

The beautiful image in front the two teenagers drew them nearer, so that they were standing closer to the tree, with the soft light streaming on them from above. Nerevar gazed at his friend, listening to the continuous humming of the small insects around them and to the song of birds close by. It was as if he forgot all that troubled him, and only concentrated on the present second, and each moment that passed seemed to take an eternity. Dagoth was in a similar state, relaxed and merged with the nature around them, as all worries left him and only the beauty of this place …and of the one in front of him… stayed. They locked their gazes, staring deeply into each other's eyes, piercing through all defenses and looking upon the very soul of the other.

They stood so close that with only one movement they could close the distance between them. Dagoth was mesmerized by Nerevar's handsome features and the way the ray of light fell upon his face and lightened every gentle curve of his skin. Without a second thought, he leaned closer to the other, so that their lips were almost touching. Nerevar could feel hot breath on his face, and the proximity of Dagoth made him slightly flushed. Then without any warning, Dagoth's lips descended upon Nerevar's in a gentle kiss, and they both closed their eyes and enjoyed their heightened senses as they explored each other's mouths. It was their first kiss, the first intimate moment together after a long time of friendship and closeness. After several minutes, Dagoth reluctantly pulled back and gazed at Nerevar, giving him a sheepish smile. Nerevar returned the smile and at that moment he realized that their relationship would change for the better. - - - - -

Suddenly Nerevar was brought back out of his reverie and he looked at Dagoth, noticing that he was recalling their past as well. They exchanged delighted smiles and Nerevar wrapped his arms around Dagoth's neck as his lover's arms snaked around his waist. Their lips met gently at first, and then they deepened the kiss and it became more forceful and heated, as their lips ravaged each other's mouths and their tongues dueled. Soon they pulled away for air, both breathing erratically.

Nerevar spoke first, with a smile still etched on his lips, "I think that we should be getting back…" He noticed the darkening sky, with the sun low on the horizon – slowly creeping down to hide from the moon – and the pink, purple and orange hues covering the once blue sky. "We have been here for longer than I thought…some news might have come already." Dagoth nodded, though did not release Nerevar from his hold. They looked at each other for another moment before Nerevar moved away from their embrace and they headed back to the castle.

When they reached the castle, the sun was long gone and replaced by the moon, while the pitch-black sky shone with brightly twinkling stars. The rest of the Tribunal was in the open courtyard of the castle, and they looked quite agitated. Vivec was pacing to and fro in front of the entrance steps, while Almalexia stood silently at the side. Sotha Sil seemed to be saying something to Vivec with his arms crossed over his chest.

As Nerevar approached them, all gazes fell upon him and he curiously asked, "Any news? Did messengers come by?" Almalexia shook her head and Vivec replied, "None…that's what bothers me, there should have been a report already…." All the while Sotha Sil was mumbling something about Kings being late all the time. Nerevar frowned, this wasn't right…no reports, no messengers, nothing from their troops…five legions were a massive force, especially that it was a Chimer army – highly skilled and trained, able to withstand anything, organized and powerful – yet there was no answer from them. The Nords couldn't have defeated them…just couldn't.

The Tribunal stayed most of the night outdoors, waiting for any sign of news – good or bad. But there came no messengers, so near dawn Nerevar felt sleep tugging at him and he decided that they should go rest, since tomorrow might be a very long day. Everyone agreed and as soon as Nerevar and Dagoth entered their chambers, Nerevar collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

The morning came too swiftly for Nerevar, as only a few hours of sleep did not rid him of the tiredness and worries of the previous day. Soon though, Nerevar and Dagoth got dressed and had breakfast before reuniting with the rest of the Tribunal and waiting for messengers in the courtyard. Today though, they had better luck with the subject, as around mid-day - when the soaring sun was at it's fullest and right up above them, shining brightly and heating every surface below it – a lone messenger appeared in front of the entrance gate. The guards quickly opened it and let the soldier proceed into the courtyard.

He quickly rushed towards the eagerly waiting Tribunal and stopped before Nerevar. "My Lord, I bring grave news indeed…The two legions that you sent with Lieutenant Porat were badly outnumbered, but successfully driven the worn out enemy away from the ruined Village – moving therefore to assist defending Bartendell – But… even with four legions our army was… overwhelmed and they were forced to move out of the city…only few hundreds survived and by the command of the Lieutenant retreated and will soon be here." The members of the Tribunal stared at the soldier with a mixture of confusion, shock and disbelief. This is impossible, improbable and unbelievable! Their unstoppable army…. stopped by a bunch of unorganized, primitive, weak humans that call themselves Nords! And the Chimer didn't have the new troops ready yet to retaliate. Things were looking very grim at the moment…

Vivec was the first to find his voice, "What are you saying? That…that we have been defeated in battle?" His voice held a tone of disbelief and a hint of anger. The soldier looked frightened and nervously nodded his head, instinctively taking a step back. Sotha Sil looked even more angered and he grabbed the soldier by his front armor, "Answer when you are being talked to!" The soldier widened his eyes in horror and stumbled over his words, "Y…Yes my Lord…"

Sotha Sil let go of the soldier with a rough push, "Then you are dismissed!" The soldier hastily nodded and turned to leave, but didn't get the chance to do so as Dagoth called after him, "Wait." The soldier turned back and looked expectantly at Dagoth. "How many legions the Nords have now?" Dagoth asked. "Well, in Bartendell we tried defending against three legions, then two more joined them…" The soldier answered. "Where do their forces proceed to?" Dagoth continued to inquire. "South, first the village closest to the shore, then Bartendell…they are almost near the Red Mountain now."

Suddenly Nerevar's eyebrows lifted as he realized something…Red Mountain…Dwemer lands, the Nords are not only hostile to the Chimer, but to everything else that walks and fights. He finally found his voice and dismissed the Soldier, watching as he hurried away to complete his other tasks.

The Tribunal returned into the castle and decided to discuss the events around a dining table. It was lunch hour and soon enough the members of the Tribunal were comfortably seated around the rectangular table. Nerevar sipped some of his wine and thought over the different possibilities and routs of action. To his left, Vivec spoke and broke the continuous silence that seemed to be filled with unsaid suggestions. "What is your opinion on the proceeding actions that we should take?" The question was addressed to Nerevar, but before he could reply, Sotha Sil cut in. "Training more troops, as fast as possible and inflicting continuous attacks on those brain dead primates!" Dagoth raised an eyebrow in an unconvinced look, "I believe that we had made that mistake several times already…" Sotha Sil looked like he was going to explode with anger but he managed to keep quiet and wait for Nerevar to speak.

Nerevar on the other hand, had a very different idea, which seemed possible and reasonable to him, as only surprise tactics can work against the Nords. "Do you recall the soldier saying that the Nords are going south? It is possibly correct…they came from the north, and have been progressing south up until now. I daresay that they want to conquer everything and everyone in their path." Dagoth looked at him with interest, "What are you saying?" Nerevar pushed the food around in his plate, while still deep in thought and answered. "Well, south from Bartendell is Dwemer territory… they might suffer an attack soon."

Sotha Sil looked at him in confusion. "So what? They might as well rot for all I care! I could care less as to what happens to them, the worst the better." He gave a short laugh, "Ha! The brain dead primates might as well do us a favor and rid us of the filthy Dwemer!" Nerevar ignored completely the interruption and continued. "We cannot defeat the Nords alone, no need to be overconfident or blind to the obvious outcomes of our battles. Even if they destroy the Dwemer…they are going to get even stronger and destroy the Chimer as well."

This time Dagoth seemed to catch on the idea and prompted Nerevar. "So you are suggesting that we… get a little help?" Nerevar gave him a large smile and continued. "Precisely! What we cannot do alone, we can manage with the help of the Dwemer, they are bright minded, skillful, have much useful machinery and they could be a valuable ally!" Everyone except Dagoth stared at Nerevar in disbelief, and Vivec interjected. "This is unthinkable! The Dwemer were always our enemy, and it won't change. They hate the Chimer and we hate them. This is a senseless scheme!"

Dagoth frowned; Vivec did not understand the matter as well as he thought he would, and he replied. "This is our only chance at defeating the Nords. And if you do not want to give it a try, then you are foolish enough to believe that we can win this alone!" Almalexia was looking just as skeptical as Vivec, "I do not trust them, and they are of no use to us." Nerevar was half angry and half disappointed that his Generals did not understand or believe in the plan. "Why is it so hard for you to put aside your differences and ask for help from someone who might be willing! Would you sacrifice this Kingdom for your petty feelings of dislike towards the Dwemer?"

Sotha Sil jumped up from his chair in fury and leaned over the table, talking in furious tones. "You, Nerevar, were always blind to anything aside from your imprudent dreams of creating peace with the Dwemer! Your idiotic ideas will get us all KILLED!" As soon as he voiced this, Dagoth wore the expression of utter anger. "YOU dare accuse Nerevar of foolishness? When all of YOUR ideas almost got us killed! You are just too afraid to admit that Nerevar may actually be correct, and that it will prove that you were wrong all along!" Sotha Sil stared at Dagoth in bewilderment. "I…I! You don't know what you are saying! I am not agreeing that- -" His sentence was cut short as Nerevar stood up himself and silenced everyone. "I don't want anyone arguing about it, or about my decision, or about anything." After a short pause, Nerevar sat back down, followed by Sotha Sil.

Then Vivec's voice quietly disturbed the silence yet again. "If that is your final decision… I will not oppose you." Almalexia gave a short nod of her head in affirmation and Sotha Sil's silence showed that he will not argue the point any longer. Though all of his Generals - except Dagoth – looked disapproving, but they held the expression of fake acceptance. Nerevar guessed that they did not whole-heartedly agree with him. He glanced at Dagoth and they exchanged knowing looks. "Tomorrow then we travel to Red Mountain and discuss peace with the Dwemer."

Soon everyone exited the dining room and the rest of the day was quite uneventful, though fraught with tense worries about the decision that Nerevar had made. As night approached, Nerevar felt like falling into a dreamless sleep to forget about his uncertainties, and he went to his chambers unusually early.

Nerevar and Dagoth changed into their nightly clothes and climbed into the bed. Dagoth pulled the covers over them and wrapped his arms around Nerevar in a comforting gesture. Nerevar sighed and seemed to relax into the embrace, before starting to nuzzle his lover's neck. "Nerevar…about today, I think that it was a very wise decision. The Dwemer will surely be under attack and they will need our help as well. You are right; alliance is always better than war." He heard Nerevar sigh again and snuggle closer. "Yeah…I'm happy that you agree, Voryn. But the rest just don't understand…maybe they are right though…what is the point?" Dagoth ran his hands over Nerevar's back in a soothing motion. "Don't ever doubt yourself, or your instincts. Especially not because of your Generals, who probably have about as much brains as a guar." He offered Nerevar a smile, and the other gave a slight chuckle. "Yeah, you are always right, Voryn." He lifted his head and pressed his lips against Dagoth's, while Dagoth tangled his fingers in Nerevar's soft hair and deepened the kiss. Nerevar let out a quiet moan and lightly bit Dagoth's lower lip.

As they parted, Nerevar rested his head on Dagoth's muscular chest, letting the heat of the other's skin and the rise and fall of his chest soothe him to sleep.

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Note: And there you are! Thank you for continuing to ready the story! Comments? )


	6. Chap 6

**Note:**

Hello peeps!

I wanted to thank you for the reviews that you guys gave me! Especially for the previous chapter, thanks to yamipriestess :)

And for everyone else that posted a review, Johnny Revolver, Penname wa Silver B, Eri the Necromancer, Skymir, morbidgypsy, Crimson Rogue, Kesilin Cade. Your support is highly appreciated. – And keep on posting your reviews! I still NEED them to increase my self-esteem and quicken my work!

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Chapter 6: Dwemer Alliance.

The night blissfully stretched over unusually long hours, and Nerevar was delightfully asleep. Therefore, when the first rays of light streamed through the half opened curtains of the windows, Nerevar awoke almost instantly – energetic and rejuvenated. He opened his eyes and squinted from the bright light that inevitably found his eyes. Then he glanced at the still peacefully sleeping figure of Dagoth – his love, his life, his air and water. Nerevar let a small smile grace his features as his eyes roamed over Dagoth's handsome face.

He leaned closer and placed a quick kiss on Dagoth's lips before pulling the covers off of himself and getting out of bed, carefully and quietly, so not to awaken Dagoth. As soon as he was out of bed, Nerevar pulled on his clothes and splashed his face with cold water. He glanced towards the sleeping figure on the bed again, and went to the half open window in their room. The windowpane and frame were a light auburn color, with runic markings engraved in a specific order on it – though they were not always seen, since their color blended almost perfectly with the wood itself and the engravings were too shallow to stand out. Therefore, only when there is a golden ray of light gleaming from a certain angle, could you make out the runes.

Nerevar's attention shifted to the sky beyond the window, as he felt the light breeze dance across his features, like a splash of warm water that enclosed his face. As he breathed in, the breeze was crisp and airy. He closed his eyes in content, wondering vaguely what made him notice all the small and wonderful details of everything. Then his mind wandered onto another path, the one that he chose to follow later today. Nerevar felt like the decision that he made was so – right – and that the Dwarves will help solve so many problems. He let another content smile lift his lips, but was suddenly startled as he heard a voice behind him.

"Woah, you woke up so early today! …Are you feeling alright?" Dagoth sounded concerned, since Nerevar nearly never woke up earlier than him; he was truly not a morning person.

Nerevar chuckled and turned around to face Dagoth. "I am feeling great." At that Dagoth gave a small smile, "Well that's good. Then I'm guessing that you are happy with what we are going to do today." Dagoth concluded, as he proceeded to stretch sleepily on the bed. Nerevar nodded and walked closer to the bed. "We should get down to have breakfast, I'm starving!"

Dagoth glanced at Nerevar quizzically, "Starving…? You're hardly ever hungry in the morning." Nerevar chuckled again and couldn't hold back his grin. "Well I guess today I'm starving. So are we going? Or are you going to let me starve to death?" Dagoth's face still wore a somewhat mockingly impertinent expression. "I highly doubt that death would be the outcome of not granting you the pleasure of filling your bottomless pit, but as I'm not willing to listen to your continuous whining, I'll allow us to have breakfast as soon as possible." Nerevar laughed and a smile crept onto Dagoth's face, then he pulled off the covers and dressed himself.

Soon they were both ready for breakfast, and they quickly exited their room and descended the stairs towards the dining hall. Light seemed to pour from every open window, and the castle looked more alive than usual. When they reached the dinning hall, it was empty – aside from several servants roaming about and doing their daily chores – the other members of the Tribunal seemed to be still sleeping in their quarters.

They sat themselves at the large ornamented table, and waited for the servants to bring them various plates of light breakfast food. As soon as the plates were in front of them, Nerevar dug in, eating with the outmost enthusiasm. While Dagoth still sleepily gazed at his food, not feeling too hungry.

Just as Nerevar took a second helping and filled his plate with various pastries, Vivec entered the room. He mumbled a greeting and sat down, filling his plate and starting to eat – perhaps less enthusiastically than Nerevar. Dagoth's plate was still full, though he sometimes sipped his cup of sweet mead.

Almalexia stepped into the room next, not as much as five minutes after Vivec. Though she seemed to be much more awake and greeted everyone with a smile. When she seated herself, she immediately started eating quite heartily.

Nerevar was at his third helping, with an assortment of fruits, when Sotha Sil entered the dinning hall– looking as grim and grumpy as ever- and sat down. He stared at his plate, and did not begin eating. While Dagoth finally got the motivation to place some food into his stomach, as he began gingerly eating his food.

Breakfast passed with little conversation, as everyone was either too sleepy to talk – or were stuffing their faces with food. When Nerevar finished his third helping, he sat back in content and watched Dagoth eat. Though his surveillance was interrupted by Vivec's voice. "I checked the progress with the new army, the training will be complete in five days – and we'll have 3 legions." Nerevar wore the expression of contemplation. Would 3 legions be enough? And would five days be too late…the Nords are moving closer everyday. But the troubling thoughts left him as he remembered the plans for today.

Sotha Sil seemed to stop whatever he was doing, as though he suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, I saw lieutenant Porat on the way down – he told me that some guards at the village south of Bartendell saw some signs of the Nords, though they weren't attacked yet." Nerevar considered this in slight worry; their army will not be ready for five days! And even when it's ready, it might not be enough. What if the Dwemer won't agree? What if they don't want to ally with the Chimer?

Dagoth glanced up at Nerevar, and as though he read his thoughts, Dagoth offered a reassuring smile. "Well, we're on our way to secure victory over those barbarians." Nerevar smiled at those words, because something – some distinctive feeling – was telling him that he is making a right decision in confronting the Dwemer.

"Yes, we should get ready to head into Red Mountain." Nerevar informed them, though none – except Dagoth – were very excited at the notion of negotiating with the Dwemer. "I'll organize as much force as we have at the castle, we should be able to attain a few hundreds –"Not letting Vivec finish his sentence, Nerevar hastily cut in. "There will be no need for armed forces. We do not want to raise suspicion or hostility." Sotha Sil looked up from his food at this. "And would you want them to kill us all? I'm sure the negotiations will not be successful in the least, and we shouldn't just give them an opportunity to chop our heads off!" Nerevar ignored Sotha Sil's remark. "I repeat, there is no need for armed forces. It is my order that we go there alone." Vivec, Sotha Sil and Almalexia looked less stunned and more hopeless, as each of them nodded in turn, agreeing to Nerevar's command.

The fact that most of his Generals were showing very little interest for the mission did not bother Nerevar in the least. He knew that it was the correct choice. So he, along with Dagoth, left the dinning hall to get ready.

When they reached their sleeping chambers, they quickly changed into combat gear. Nerevar wore his golden armor with glistering rubies, while Dagoth wore his black and silver armor, etched with mesmerizing green glass. Nerevar turned to one of his large cabinets, opening a small drawer and picking up a delicate silver key. Then he turned to another even smaller drawer and fitted the key into the lock. Dagoth in the meanwhile, finished with his preparations and was curiously watching what Nerevar was doing. "Ohh… so you are getting the heirloom…almost forgot about that."

Nerevar nodded and took out the small oval artifact. It belonged to the first King of the Chimer, many generations ago, and was passed down to the next Kings. No one but the King of the Chimer was allowed to possess the item, it was sacred by all means, and only Kings had the right to touch it. It was as small as the back of Nerevar's hand, but incredibly complex. Azura was sculptured in the middle, with two other Daedric gods at each side of her, the symbol of the moon-and-star was in the background, creating the actual shape of the item. It was made from a combination of materials that was impossible to combine – gold was the star, silver was the moon, Azura was ebony with added jewels, and the other gods were from an unrecognizable shining white stone. The amount of detail was unbelievable – It was thought to be sent by Azura herself to the first Chimer King.

As soon as Nerevar put the icon into his belt pouch, he turned to Dagoth, "Lets see if our Generals got ready." And Dagoth nodded. Just as Nerevar turned and took a step towards the door, he felt strong arms wrap around him from behind, effectively immobilizing him. Hot breath and the flutter of luscious lips trailed over his neck, and Nerevar felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine. Then Dagoth's deep voice whispered into his ear, "I'm sure they can wait…Nerevar…" And with that, Dagoth pulled Nerevar tighter against him and started lightly nipping Nerevar's neck.

Nerevar let out a small gasp and tilted his head to allow the other a better access. "No…Voryn…we have to go now…" He felt Dagoth's smile against his skin. "I know what you really want…" Dagoth slightly bit Nerevar's neck and sucked on the red mark, while moving to unfasten Nerevar's armor.

As much as he was enjoying the arousing caresses of his lover, Nerevar knew that they ought to complete their current mission and that they had no time to spare. He caught Dagoth's wandering hands and turned around to face the other. "Voryn…we really must go…" He brought his hand up and tangled it in Dagoth's hair, before leaning up and pressing their lips together. The kiss deepened as they eagerly explored each other's mouths.

When Nerevar pulled back, their breathing was ragged and he softly bit Dagoth's lower lip. "When we'll come back…" Nerevar whispered and stole another kiss. "We'll have some…fun…" He chuckled and reluctantly pulled away from the embrace. Dagoth released him and replied with a smirk, "Then we better finish this fast." Nerevar returned the smile and they left their room.

Soon enough they reached the courtyard and Nerevar was delighted to see that their Generals were completely ready, and did not violate any of his orders yet – particularly the one when he told them not to organize an army.

Sotha Sil regarded him with a bored expression on his face. "Are we going?" Nerevar nodded and headed towards the front gate, with the rest of the Tribunal at his heels. The weather was hotter than usual - even for the summer season.

As they walked through the heated terrain, Nerevar ran his hand over his dump forehead and abruptly stopped, feeling the scorching sun burn through his skin. Soon everyone agreed to take a detour route through the forest – so not to fry themselves alive. The tropical forest was significantly cooler, with the breeze traveling in between trees. The sun was blocked by the thick layers of branches above them.

The walk took longer than anticipated, as the road veered and changed direction every now and then. Finally they emerged from within the dense forest and came in front of a looming mountain. So even though the forest path was three-and-a-quarter times longer than the open field one, they still successfully reached the very entrance of Red Mountain.

As much as the name depicted, the dusty barren land was full of dark red soil. So it clearly showed the beginning of Dwarven territory – which was a bright contrast to the still grassy brown soil of Chimer land. Most of the trees on Red Mountain were cut down, leaving only lonely stems scattered around the area. The best explanation could be that the Dwemer needed lots of resources to create their experimental and ingenious machines.

As soon as the Tribunal neared the bottom of Red Mountain, Vivec nervously took out his sword, followed by Sotha Sil. They moved further still, and just as Nerevar stepped onto the red soil, a loud thundering sound echoed through the air – and a band of enchanted mechanical machines appeared from behind the rocks. The Centurion spiders started advancing first, quickly moving towards the invaders, while the Centurion spheres where right behind them.

Everyone took out their weapons and stood their ground, waiting for them to come before slashing and blasting them into pieces. The next wave of enemies came swiftly, when the Steam Centurions – which were designed in the form of an armored warrior – advanced towards them. The Tribunal took a little longer to dispose of them, but soon enough all their enemies lay in heaps on the ground.

"So much for your stupid attempt to negotiate with them." Sotah Sil remarked and fixed Nerevar with an I-told-you-so stare. But Nerevar was more than used to this and answered calmly. "If you won't rush to conclusions – like you always do – and if you would only use your logic – which you never use – you would understand that those mechanic guards cannot distinguish what we are here for!"

With a dismissive grunt, Sotha Sil withheld any retort that he could have had. They continued up the hill towards the large metallic gate that seemed to loom at the foot of the mountain. When they reached it, Nerevar noticed that the gate was so enormous - it blocked completely the view beyond it.

The wind whistled loudly and caught the flaky soil, swirling it up into the air, before blowing it away. Nerevar stepped closer to the gate and grabbed the round golden knocker – which looked incredibly detailed – A bearded Dwarven face was attached to the gate, with blue jewels embedded in the eye sockets, and a thick round ring was caught between the Dwarf's teeth. The knocker was so heavy and large, that Nerevar had to hold it with both hands, before releasing it completely and letting it thud against the gate, creating a loud and low sound that echoed all around them.

Not a minute passed, as a rustling and thumping noise was heard, as if something heavy was carried on the ground somewhere out of sight. Rightly so, the Tribunal was faced with a still closed gate, but surrounded by at least a hundred armed Dwemer – who looked even grumpier than Sotha Sil. Nerevar guessed that this was not their usual defense, but rather an overly large group of guards, stationed here as a precaution. This surely showed that the Dwemer might have suffered an attack, or are expecting one – At least he was correct about 'this' part.

The Dwemer didn't give Nerevar anymore time for thought, as they angrily spat something incomprehensible and began moving nearer. The only reason why they did not attack sooner was because the presence of only five Chimer baffled them. Nerevar quickly drew his sword – while the rest of the Tribunal knew not to – and held it at his side, quickly shouting to the Dwemer. "Halt! Do not advance any further; I am not here for bloodshed. I am here to speak King-to-King."

The Dwemer seemed to be very taken aback, to the point that their faces showed nothing but blank incomprehension – that made them look almost innocent, not hostile at all. Then their leader's face contorted into a hateful scowl again and he answered back. "The Chimer have no business with the Dwemer, and such pathetic lies of deceit will not be tolerated – LEAVE our land before we rip you limb from limb!"

Nerevar remained as calm and unmoving as ever, only letting his hand reach into one of his pouches to extract a shimmering item. He brought the icon up and showed it to the Dwemer, keeping an air of confidence.

The Dwemer leader stared at the heirloom, nearly with an open mouth - apparently not believing his eyes. When he finally regained his composure, he said with a quiet voice. "So it is your true intent…" He slightly bowed his head and continued, "Follow me."

Nerevar breathed out with a sigh of relief and pocketed the item again, following the Dwarf that drew a large key – before fitting it into the lock on the gate. They heard a hollow bell ring from the inside and the gate started to squeak and open. Apparently it was possible to open it only from the inside, as several guards pushed the gates outward.

Soon enough they were inside and gazing at all the uniquely shaped Dwemer structures. Some were with round domes, others with tall towers with spikes at the top. This was truly a mechanically advanced city, almost nothing organic – everything made from golden yellow metal – and various centurions helping the Dwarves in hard work.

They reached the enclosure of the Dwarven castle in no time, and they were told to wait there patiently. It was very interesting to notice that part of the Dwarves that passed them looked very hopeful and excited to see the unlikely visitors. While the others wore grimaces that looked as though they drank an acidic nectar. It was clear to Nerevar the difference in preferences that occurred even in the same race. Just like some of the Dwemer were skeptical and did not want to ally with the Chimer, there are some Chimer that don't want to ally with the Dwemer. He glanced at Sotha Sil, who still looked nervous and held an expression that looked as if something was bothering him very much. He glanced at Vivec and Almalexia and saw that they looked slightly uncomfortable as well.

He sighed to himself in exasperation – there is nothing to be done, he cannot keep everyone pleased, but he can do what is better for everyone.

The Dwemer King emerged from a decorated door, facing Nerevar with several of his priests. They stood in an arrow-shaped formation – Nerevar in front of the Dwarven King, with Vivec and Dagoth on either side of him, and Almalexia with Sotha Sil behind them in a slight slope. The Dwaven King and his priests stood in a similar position, and he was the first to speak. "I am King Dumac Dwarf-Orc, what brings the Chimer here?"

Nerevar took out the heirloom and held it in his left hand. "I am King Nerevar, I come seeking peace, let us ally and defeat our common enemies. Let us have no more wars and no more deaths. The Chimer came seeking friendship." He unsheathed his sword and plunged the tip onto the floor between them. "What say you?"

Quiet mutterings began across the room, but were soon silenced by Dumac. There was a long silence, in which no one said a word and Dumac seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, he stepped closer and said in a booming voice, "The Dwemer accept your kind invitation, King Nerevar. We will be most pleased to have the honor of living and fighting by your side." He reached out and placed his hand on top of Nerevar's sword. "To peace and Alliance." Everyone in the room repeated the sentence and Dumac released the sword, smiling broadly.

"I believe an occasion like that asks for a feast! Come on in friends!" They followed Dumac, delighted smiles on everyone's faces. It seemed that the tension had disappeared; even all his Generals seemed more or less relieved.

The large feast that followed was incredible, everyone talked, exchanged ideas and conversation sprang from every corner. They talked about the Nords, tactics, strategies, and late in the evening, the Tribunal excused themselves and headed back to their castle.

Tomorrow was a new day with a new hope and countless possibilities; it just seemed too good to be true.

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**Note: ** Thank you all for reading! I hope you liked it, tell me what your thoughts are! Please Review! Hehe!


	7. Chap 7

**Note:**

Hello everyone!

I am very happy that you continue to read my story, but I get practically no new reviews! This totally brings my self-esteem down – please review if you read a chapter, you have no idea how much it helps, each and every one of your reviews.

But thank you Harry's Dark Angel (YamiPriestess)! Thank you for reading and reviewing every single chapter. Special thanks to NK11 as well!

Here is the next chapter! I'm so very sorry for the unthinkable time that you had to endure without it! I apologize greatly! But here it is without further a due.

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Chapter 7: Final preparations.

Nerevar couldn't remember when he fell asleep last night. He was so exhausted from the previous day's events and intoxicated by the endless supply of booze, that he hardly had any rational thoughts by the end of the evening. Unfortunately, Dwemer booze was certainly strong. He was sure that all of his generals had similar experiences. Although most likely, not Dagoth - he always held his alcohol quite well.

Today he woke up with a slight lightheadedness and as soon as he sat up, a wave of dizziness hit him. It took him a moment to recover, and once he properly opened his eyes and focused on the room, he noticed that Dagoth was no where in sight.

He lay back down as he felt another wave of vertigo. He closed his eyes again and decided that it was rather easier to stay put and wait for Dagoth to come back to their chamber than getting up to find him.

As if on cue, Nerevar heard the voice of his counterpart from the open door to the right. "It's time to wake up, Nerevar. I brought you something to make you feel better." Nerevar - curious and relieved - opened his eyes to look at Dagoth and to find what it was that he brought for him. Soon enough he noticed the large cup that Dagoth was holding.

Dagoth moved closer and sat at the side of the bed before handing Nerevar the drink – which Nerevar took reluctantly and gave it a skeptical look-over. The liquid looked translucently green, but to Nerevar's surprise had quite a sweet aroma. "Don't worry; it's just a combination of powdered Ash Yam and Corkbulb root."

Nerevar wrinkled his nose and gave a slight grimace at the odd combination, but knowing the effects of each ingredient could assure him that the liquid was useful. He looked up at Dagoth again and decided that he could trust him – after all, it couldn't taste _that_ bad. He brought the cup to his lips and took a sip, which reassured him that the liquid was actually half decent. Nerevar quickly drank everything to the last drop and handed the cup back to Dagoth.

"Feeling better?" Dagoth asked as the other sat up. Nerevar was pleasantly surprised that he was not attacked by any other nauseous headaches. "Yeah, much better…thanks." Dagoth smiled and stood up, "Well, I'll have to get down and make sure that Sotha Sil didn't topple over yet." He chuckled, "Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil were out cold faster than you. You should have seen them trying to get down the stairs, still in their nightly clothes – with the most obtuse and imperceptive expression that I have ever seen."

Nerevar laughed at the mental image that the description brought. "Alright, so I'll come down soon as well." Dagoth nodded, still lightly chuckling, and left the room. Nerevar stretched sleepily and with a yawn, got off the bed. He walked over to the closet and dressed himself before leaving the chamber and making his way to the dining hall.

As he reached the hall, his nausea had all disappeared – and he made a mental note to always drink whatever Dagoth would concoct for him. He entered the room and the first thing he heard was a cluttering sound of a dish being thrown onto the floor.

He looked around the room and saw Vivec, seemingly continuing to snooze with his head on the table, while Almalexia seemed to have not appeared in the dinning hall at all. Then a peculiar scene to the left of the table caught his attention.

There stood Sotha Sil, clutching an armchair with a disoriented look - and soon Nerevar noticed what the source of the noise was – since a heap of a broken glass lay next to Sotha Sil on the floor. Dagoth was standing near him with an annoyed expression before moving to the other side of the table. "You just smashed the last cup of the elixir, there is no way that I am going to search for any more ingredients – you will just have to sober up on your own." Dagoth sighed and sat down before noticing Nerevar, who moved to sit next to him – and was lightly bemused by the peculiar occurrence.

Nerevar glanced at Sotha Sil, who decided to sit down – and was successful after a few sloppy attempts. "So how was your sleep, Nerevar?" Dagoth asked him and began eating his breakfast.

"Not bad, though I remember nothing of yesterday's feast." Nerevar replied, and Dagoth chuckled. "Don't worry, it'll come to you soon enough. Oh, and before I forget, the three legions should be ready in about four more days, and we can train two more in another week."

Nerevar peeked at Dagoth in bewilderment. "That is way too long, what if the Nords decide to attack any time soon?" At that he heard another chuckle from his counterpart.

"You don't remember anything yet? Well, I'll inform you – the Dwemer King said that he will keep his forces in defensive formations, since he doesn't have enough offensive power to strike down the Nords. Therefore, his troops should last the week, and when our legions are ready together we will bring those barbarians down."

After hearing the well worked out plan, fragments of last evening's conversations sprang to Nerevar's mind as they began to fit into an organized subconscious arrangement. Soon enough, Nerevar's mind - already in a fully awakened state - rampaged through the remaining pieces of memory and put them in place. "Oh…yes, and we should station some of our remaining troops with the Dwemer."

Dagoth nodded and smiled. "I knew it would be coming back to you." Their attention was brought back to the other occupants of the room, as Vivec stirred from his slight nap and voiced his displeasure at his aching head. "Oww… I don't feel well…"

"You should get back to sleep; I don't think that you will be hungry in a while." Dagoth advised him, and Vivec seemed to agree. "Yeah…good idea." He stood up shakily and grabbed Sotha Sil along before leaving the dining hall.

Nerevar and Dagoth finished consuming their breakfast with a bit of light conversation and soon after exited the hall, deciding to inhale some fresh air into their lungs. Thus, they headed towards the small town slightly to the east of Hlormaren – nearly on the edge of the Bitter Coast. It was quite far towards the North West, and they did not visit that village in a while.

Their walking pace was slow and leisurely – intent on spending as much time as possible to enjoy the constantly remarkable surroundings. By late afternoon, the sun began to hover lower over the horizon, emitting glowing orange rays throughout the sky. They entered the village through an arched gate, and were greeted with a familiar sight and atmosphere. The town was divided in half by a river that flowed in the middle – leaving several buildings on either side. The comforting breeze brought the same flowery essence that always seemed to linger here.

They passed several houses, when suddenly they saw a figure in the distance. Nerevar's expression turned from surprised to joyful. "Aunt Nimy!" He called out, making the figure halt and turn towards them. There stood a female Chimer, a bit older then middle aged – with sparkling white hair arranged in a neat hairstyle. She moved closer and greeted them with a warm smile. "Nerevar, Voryn! I haven't seen you in a long while. Oh my, how you have grown. How is everything? Oh! Don't stand out here, come into my house." She led them into one of the large houses to the left of the river.

The two guests followed her with excitement. As teens, Nerevar and Dagoth always came here to enjoy the appealing scenery that surrounded the village. Not to mention the immense gratification that they received from annoying the village inhabitants. But the best reason for coming here was Aunt Nimy. That is how they call a late-middle aged woman that they came to know years ago. She lived in this village and when they came here, she always helped them escape troublesome situations that they constantly got themselves into.

Nimy soon seated them around a nicely decorated table and brought various sweets. Soon, she herself sat down as well. "I am so thrilled to see you sweethearts again. You two are becoming more handsome by the day! So how is everything at the castle? I hope you stopped making trouble all the time." She chuckled.

Dagoth leaned to grab a cookie and answered. "We're incredibly glad to see you Auntie; we were so busy that we hardly had any time to even get off the castle grounds."

Nerevar nodded and took a sip of his fruit juice. "You must have heard about the Nord invasions."

Nimy laughed before replying, "I see that you two are still creating trouble wherever you go!" She received a sheepish smile from Nerevar and a chuckle from Dagoth. Soon though, she frowned slightly at the mention of the Nords. "Yes… news travels fast, and you have allied with the Dwarves. A wise move, I must say – though still with risks of its own. How did your generals react?" Nerevar took another sip and set his cup down. "Not well at first, but they don't seem to be too disappointed in the outcome."

"I thought so…but you give them too much credit, they have very convincing masks…not a thing to rely on." She replied slowly, her brow furrowed. Nerevar gave a small laugh. "Masks? They wouldn't be hiding anything from me. And besides, I don't give them any credit – I keep a close eye on them – there is nothing to be worried about." Nimy glanced at Dagoth, who gave her the same anxious look, but it was soon replaced by a determined expression. "Not to worry, we have got everything under control." Nimy didn't seem convinced but decided to drop the subject.

"I was wondering, Voryn – did you keep that wretched pet?" Nimy asked, and Dagoth gave a small smirk. "Of course. Let me show you." Nimy was about to protest and discourage the idea, but Dagoth was already summoning his Wraith. In a matter of seconds, the translucent specter was beside the table, laughing mischievously.

"Oh! That pet of yours! Everyone in town knows of its existence, thanks to your practical jokes – I truly didn't think that you'll keep it after the fact that everyone was trying to chase him from this town." Nimy said, edging further away from the Wraith.

"Why would I get rid of him once he got such a high reputation?" Dagoth chuckled and whispered something to his pet. The Wraith bobbed up and down in midair for a moment before quickly moving towards the front door and vanishing.

Several minutes later, angered yells and frightened screams were heard from outside. Nerevar couldn't stop chuckling and glanced at his smirking counterpart, before his gaze fell upon Nimy's annoyed expression. "I'm not getting you out of _this_ mess."

"All he's doing is harmlessly flustering people, and borrowing their things." Dagoth replied with a smile, while Nerevar took a cookie and glanced at Dagoth again. "Stop it; we didn't come here to terrorize everyone." Dagoth nodded, still pleased with his pet and un-summoned him.

As Dagoth reached for another cookie, his hand was slapped away by Nimy. "No more sweets for you." He pouted pleadingly, "Ow… please allow me to have more of your delicious cookies."

Nimy, flattered, but familiar with the usual sweet-talk – decided not to punish Dagoth yet, and allowed him to continue nibbling on the sweets. The rest of the day was spent comfortably with relaxing conversations and strolls near the beautiful scenery. When they came back to the castle, they had a self-satisfied feeling, and were pleasantly surprised that the rest of the Tribunal sobered up by the time they came back.

A week has passed without many major occurrences, the Dwemer army seemed to have done their job quite well – defending three major and two minor invasions over the days. Though their forces have been cut down, they still had enough defensive and some offensive power – which will be combined with the newly trained five legions of Chimer army.

Soon, with tremendous preparations, the day of the battle appeared with the rising sun. Today the Chimer would fight alongside the Dwemer in hopes of defeating a common enemy.

Nerevar stirred in his bed, feeling something heavy on top of him. He opened his eyes slightly and noticed silky black locks of hair near him, which he identified as Dagoth's lovely hair. He brushed them away from his lover's face and gazed at his handsome features. Just as he was about to close his eyes and fall asleep again, he felt Dagoth's arms wrap tighter around him, and his deep voice whispered in his ear. "You woke me up and now you want to go back to sleep?" Nerevar smiled, "Precisely."

"Who says that I am going to let you?" Dagoth replied while the other tried to move from underneath him, but Dagoth's weight and skillful hands kept Nerevar in place. In the process of his struggles, Nerevar managed to grab a particularly heavy pillow and chuck it at the Chimer on top of him. Dagoth succeeded in dodging the first, but not the second pillow – which caused him to slightly ease his grip on the captive below. Seizing the opportunity, Nerevar reversed their positions, ending up on top of his lover. Dagoth looked up at his chuckling counterpart and pulled him down for a deep kiss. Their lips met with passion and slid over one another, before their tongues met and battled with each other.

When they parted, Nerevar placed several pecks on his lover's lips, before moving to his jaw and placing kisses on the soft skin below. He moved to Dagoth's neck and grazed his teeth over the sensitive area, earning a moan from the one beneath him, before nibbling softly on the flesh. Dagoth wrapped his arms around Nerevar and held him closer, groaning lightly at the ministrations. Nerevar ran his hands over his lover's chest and down to his boxers.

"Hmm… quite energetic this morning, aren't you…?" Dagoth whispered in a bemused tone, and ran his hands over Nerevar's back. Nerevar smiled and gazed at him seductively, "I'm sure that you're not complaining…" and to emphasize his point, he lightly ran his fingers over Dagoth's still clad erection. Dagoth gasped lightly and returned a wavering smile, "No, not at all…"

Nerevar gave another grin and descended upon his lover's lips, straddling Dagoth's hips and bucking slightly. His ministrations granted him another moan from Dagoth, and he soon preceded creating friction over his lover's erection and testing his self-control. Dagoth groaned and slid his hands to Nerevar's hips, trying to get more friction. Nerevar smirked teasingly and refused to give his lover what he wanted

"Mnnn…Nerevar…stop teasing…" Dagoth murmured and pulled him into a heated kiss. Nerevar moaned and moved to nibble on Dagoth's earlobe, before whispering "….or what…?" Dagoth smirked, "…or that…" In a blink of an eye, he grabbed a hold of the other and reversed their positions.

Nerevar gasped and looked up at Dagoth, who ran his hands over Nerevar's exposed chest and torso. He reached down towards Nerevar's boxers and quickly dispatched of them, leaving his lover naked below him. He then took off his own boxers just as quickly and reached down to take a hold of Nerevar's erection. Nerevar moaned at the contact and felt Dagoth's hand start moving, extracting a louder moan from him. The bright heat of pleasure intensified and he involuntarily bucked into Dagoth's hand.

Dagoth smiled and leaned lower to kiss his lover and suck on his lower lip. "Mmm….seems you like that eh?" he asked teasingly. Nearly incapable of answering verbally, Nerevar managed to moan in response and pulled Dagoth closer, their bodies sliding over one another. Dagoth groaned and reveled in Nerevar's astounding appearance, his disheveled hair and flushed face.

Deep amethyst eyes met with heated obsidian, locking their gaze and reading everything right through them - the lust, the want, the joy and the love. Dagoth descended upon Nerevar's lips and explored his sweet cavern with intensity and domination. He removed his hand from Nerevar's erection and brushed over his inner thigh, making the other shiver and let out a slight moan.

"Nerevar…you are magnificent…in every way…" Dagoth whispered to the one below him, and Nerevar felt the wave of heat that the words brought to his cheeks, and he whispered back. "…Voryn…take me…I am yours..." He had an incredible urge to be made Dagoth's again and to feel the other dominate him in the most intimate manner.

Dagoth bit down his own bottom lip to stop a moan that was provoked by the pleasing words, and he complied. He grabbed Nerevar's waist forcefully and without further preparation thrust foreword, sheathing himself deep within his lover. He leaned down and kissed him passionately, as if to absorb all of the screams and moans that the other made.

Dagoth started a quick pace, moving harmoniously against his lover and eliciting moans and an array of various pleasurable sounds from both of them. Nerevar's world had narrowed down to only the rhythmical pounding of his lover and the searing hot pleasure, making him whimper and buck with each thrust. Dagoth's pleasure mounted and he couldn't stop ramming more and more aggressively into Nerevar, leaning down and biting his neck harshly. Nerevar's hands were fisted in Dagoth's hair and not one coherent thought could break through the haze of his mind.

Soon Nerevar felt the euphoria engulf him and he arched his back, screaming his release. Dagoth felt the other tighten around him and it sent him into the abyss, as he moaned loudly and threw his head back, coming deep into Nerevar.

As the ecstatic pleasure that blanketed them from everything else lifted, Dagoth noticed that he was lying on top of his lover and listening to his erratic panting. They lay unmoving and content for several long moments, neither breaking the entrancing silence. The sun has crept quite higher into the morning sky, silently urging them to get out of bed.

Nerevar was the first to speak as he stretched lightly, "Breakfast…late…again…" Dagoth nodded and remarked with a slight smirk, "If you'll continue to move like that…we'll be even later…" Nerevar tried to gaze innocently at him, but it turned out to be more of a seductive look. Dagoth smiled and as much as he wanted to continue 'making them late', he remarked that they should be heading down for breakfast. He slowly pulled out of his lover and after a quick peck on the cheek left the bed to get dressed.

Nerevar lazily stayed a while longer in the bed and watched Dagoth before getting up and dressing himself as well. In a matter of minutes they were already heading down the brightly decorated stairs and through the large open doors of their dining hall.

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Note: I apologize again for the wait, but now I am already on the way to finishing the next chapter :-), but I will not post it unless I get a nice amount of reviews! Thanks a lot for reading!


	8. Chap 8

**Note: **Greetings Everyone! I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating lately! My life has been in continuous turmoil and chaos, so I apologize.

I strongly encourage you to Review. Please! It makes me happy!

Thanks a lot for the reviews so far! Special thanks to Harry's Dark Angel, and thanks to the anonymous reader for last chapter's review!

So here it is! Enjoy! And tell me how you liked it ;)

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

Chapter 8: Battle on the Horizon

Nerevar and Dagoth reached the sun filled dining room, finding all of their generals already seated and in the middle of a light conversation.

"…We must act cautiously –" Vivec continued, before stopping once he saw the two approach. "Ah! Bright dawn my friends!" He exclaimed with a smile. The rest greeted them as well, and soon everyone was seated around the large dining table. Fruits and other delights were instantly served and everyone enjoyed a quiet breakfast. After a short while, the silence was broken with Nerevar's voice, "Any reports on our troops?"

"None, as far as I know." Vivec replied.

"But they should be ready today." Almalexia added.

Nerevar nodded absent mindedly, knowing that the deadline was swiftly approaching and that the Dwemer defensive was weakening each passing day. Suddenly the doors to the dining room swung open and Lieutenant Porat stepped forward, follow by three guards. "My Lords –" He started, but Nerevar quickly noticed the other's entrance and cut into his sentence. "Lieutenant! We were just thinking of calling upon you! Have you any news on the new troops?" Porat smiled and replied, "That I do, Sire, the five legions are fully trained and are at your disposal. They are currently in the courtyard awaiting your orders." Nerevar was pleased with the well-placed effort to get the troops ready in time. "Nice work Lieutenant. Now I would like you to send a messenger to King Dumac Dwarf-Orc, informing him of our readiness and requesting his assistance." Lieutenant Porat nodded, "Right away, My King." He bowed and left the room, the servants quickly closing the doors behind him.

"Now would be a great time to decide on our strategy." Dagoth pointed out.

"There isn't much strategy here, just hack-and-slash." Sotha Sil mumbled out lazily, receiving a hard glare from Dagoth.

"First, we should wait for our scouts while they gain information on the location of the Nords." Nerevar reasoned.

"They are more likely to stay in one place, they aren't great on tactics." Vivec commented.

"It would be unwise to underestimate such an enemy; they could be using their stupidity as a disguise." Dagoth replied.

"You're giving those half-brained fools too much credit." Sotha Sil retorted, but Dagoth fully ignored him, calming bringing his cup of tea to his lips and taking a sip of the liquid.

"We ourselves shouldn't be fooled, and for that we need concrete evidence of their location. We cannot risk acting blindly." Nerevar interjected, his statement bringing a confirming silence from the occupants of the room.

The sun started its ascending in the sky, traveling ever so slowly to its desired height above. The next hour was uneventful and tiresome as they waited, fruitlessly – so far – for their scouts to return. Nerevar sat back in his chair and stretched a bit, popping another berry into his mouth. "Are you sure that you've demanded their immediate return?" Nerevar asked, addressing Vivec, who was currently responsible for investigations concerning the location of their enemy. "Of course, there is nothing to worry about." He replied and just moments later, as if on cue, the double doors of the dining hall suddenly opened and there entered three scouts, slightly out of breath.

They bowed low and looked up at the Tribunal. "My Lords," one of them started. "I apologize for the wait, but it took us longer than expected to explore the Northern region, and we have found their main camp. It is to the North of Red Mountain." After the scout was done, Dagoth posed a question, "Why do you say _main_ camp? Are there more camps?" The scout continued, "That's right My Lord, we do suspect that they don't dwell in only one camp. And this is because we've seen only an equivalent to one legion and a half there. Maybe more, it was difficult to estimate, since we didn't have access to the whole region." Nerevar's brows furrowed in confusion, "Where are the rest of them? One and a half legions are far too little to be their main camp." The scout continued a bit hesitantly, "Well…we aren't sure. We haven't seen any other camps in the North… none at all." The scout continued speaking but Nerevar tuned out, his mind processing the information and trying to figure out why the Nords separated. Or more importantly, where – _were_ – the other enormous five legions that threatened the Chimer and Dwemer land. They must have had something planned, something up their sleeves, probably some kind of a strategy…but what?

Nerevar glanced up as he noticed the scout stopped speaking, and he was gazing rather expectedly back at the young King. "Eer, sorry. What did you say, again?" He inquired, receiving a reply from the other. "I just asked if you would like me to assemble another group to explore some more." Nerevar shook his head, "We don't have time to wait any longer." The scout nodded, "If we get any word from the outlook posts, we'll let you know right away." Nerevar thanked him and dismissed the three scouts, sending them back to their duties.

The Tribunal spent another long period continuing to discuss possible strategies. "We can split our forces and attack their base, while looking for the rest of their army." Vivec proposed.

"That's too risky, but we could take all of our troops and annihilate their main camp." Almalexia suggested, but Nerevar showed no sighs of agreement.

"That would be of no use; we have no reports whatsoever about the location of the rest of their army, which in fact, poses more threat to us." Nerevar stated.

Dagoth nodded and continued. "Their main camp could very likely be just a distraction, created to mislead us."

Sotha Sil couldn't hold back any more comments, it was incredibly difficult for him to keep quiet for more than two minutes at a time, and so he contributed to the discussion. "Trickery or no trickery, we must attack! At least the forces that we know of… or we could send the Dwemer to do the dirty job."

Nerevar's gaze was stern, "Can't you ever hold back on those obtuse remarks of yours? Firstly, we cannot afford another mistake. Secondly, we have to appreciate the Dwemer help, not send them on pointless missions."

Sotha Sil didn't reply, he only waved his hand dismissingly at Nerevar's comment. The room quieted down again, there was only so much that they could discuss with such a limited amount of information. Dagoth sighed and abruptly stood up from the table, pushing his chair back. "I think its time to get ready."

Vivec glanced up at him, "But we don't even know what our strategy is."

"It won't do much good to us if we stay locked in this pathetic room either way. We might as well be ready until action calls for us." Dagoth replied.

In the next moment, Nerevar stood up as well, agreeing with the other. "That's true, let's get started. We'll meet in the courtyard." With that said, all of the Tribunal nodded in agreement and the five of them made their way to the hallway. Just as they stepped outside, an increasing noise of shuffling footsteps echoed in the elongated space in between solid walls. They watched in mild interest as the scout, who previously visited them, followed by his two companions rushed towards them.

"What is it now, scout?" Vivec asked impatiently.

"My Lords, word from the outlook posts reached us. The Nord army has been spotted, advancing."

Nerevar quickly stepped forward, "Where? How many?"

"In the most Southern regions we have seen them in so far. A few villages just West of Red Mountain sent warning calls upon spotting the Nord army. It seems that they are advancing even more South. Towards the Bitter Coast. The Berandas stronghold saw them first, and then they went past Andasreth and moved in the direction of Hlormaren, as well as to the town to the East. The posts didn't see the whole extent of the Nord army, but there were at least four legions."

The members of the Tribunal held astonished expressions, Nerevar and Dagoth exchanging worried looks at the thought of their Aunt Nimy being in danger. "We appreciate the report; please inform Lieutenant Porat to keep the troops in full battle readiness. You are dismissed." As soon as Nerevar finished giving out the orders, the Tribunal quickly made their way to their own chambers to get ready.

Nerevar and Dagoth soon entered their room, the young King putting on his royal golden armor with embedded ruby stones. While Dagoth pulled on his own partly silver and dark ebony armor, with shimmering green glass. After his attire was completely settled, the tall Chimer glanced back at the other, upon hearing a quiet sigh from him. Nerevar was fastening his sword and he didn't look up. "Nerevar…Is anything the matter?" Dagoth prompted, noticing the other's lowered gaze. The other shook his head, his fingers deftly moving over the smooth surface of the sword's handle.

Nerevar was worried. He was worried about the outcome of the next confrontation. About the fact that he had to act upon so little information – The fact that he was leading his army, his citizens, to an unknown battle. Sometimes he was feeling overburdened by the responsibilities of being a king. It wasn't a simple thing. He wondered if he was making the right decisions, doing the right things… trusting the right allies… It was all so complex, and he was the one that had to make sense of it all. Everything lay upon his shoulders - the weight of a kingdom was definitely not feathery light.

Dagoth watched the slightly bothered expression of his counterpart, and he moved closer, reaching forward. He gently cupped Nerevar's chin, turning the other's gaze towards him. Nerevar snapped out of his thoughts as he felt the other's touch, and he looked up into Dagoth's obsidian eyes. "What's wrong…Nerevar?" He asked again, receiving another small sigh from the other.

"It's just… just that, I don't know if I can lead the Chimer against an enemy of unknown proportions. All of them depend on me...I can't afford a mistake..." Dagoth listened to the other silently before replying, "Nerevar…you shouldn't worry about anything. You're the strongest, the bravest, and the most capable king that there ever was. Don't doubt anything. Everything will turn out well…I promise you…" He reassured, leaning down and capturing Nerevar's lips in a soft kiss. Nerevar leaned up, pressing against the other, and feeling soothed in his lover's embrace. His worries dissolved at Dagoth's words, and he lost himself in the feeling of the other against him.

After a long moment, Dagoth pulled back and looked into Nerevar's violet eyes. "Are you feeling better now?" Nerevar grinned and replied, whispering against Dagoth's lips, "…I always feel better when I'm with you…" The young King's hand traveled to the back of Dagoth's neck, his fingers brushing over the smooth skin. He pressed more against the other, his teeth grazing Dagoth's lower lip. The other's breath slightly hitched, his hands sliding down to Nerevar's waist, enjoying their proximity. Nerevar smiled teasingly and pulled back from the other's hold, "We have to get going."

He was about to head to the door when his wrist was caught and he was roughly pulled back. Dagoth leaned close to Nerevar's ear, whispering in his deep voice. "…You have no idea what you're doing to me…You can't keep teasing me like that… You know, you should be called a Siren…" Nerevar felt the hot breath flowing over his ear as the other spoke, his smile widening. "You can call me anything, love…but we really must go now." Dagoth pressed a kiss to Nerevar's earlobe before releasing him, and they soon exited their chambers.

They reached the courtyard, and came to a halt in front of the rest of the Tribunal. The divided legions of troops were positioned as usual across the courtyard, each squadron having a separate Lieutenant. The officers and Lieutenants were gathered near the Tribunal, awaiting further orders. Vivec soon voiced his own command, "We need three legions to confront the advancing Nord army." Before Lieutenant Porat had the time to confirm the request, Nerevar stopped him. "Not three. At least four. There were at least four legions of Nords spotted; we have to match their numbers."

Vivec listened to his King and replied, "But we have only five legions, one legion is not enough to protect against another attack – which is quite possible."

"There will be Dwemer forces." Dagoth reasoned.

"Where are they now?" Sotha Sil retorted angrily.

"They will come, don't underestimate them." Nerevar said, before looking back at Lieutenant Porat. "Lead your four legions in an offensive strike, the rest will stay prepared in the castle." The lieutenant bowed and left to organize the troops.

The Tribunal's attention turned to the large gates, as the guards heaved them open, revealing their long awaited allies. Nerevar watched in pleasant surprise as the Dwemer King himself stepped onto Chimer soil, followed by his own two legions of Dwemer troops and mechanical constructs. "Ah! What a lovely place you Chimer have! Now that I see it with my own two eyes, I am glad that I'm here." Dumac Dwarf-Orc called out in his rugged voice as he entered the courtyard. Nerevar's expression brightened and he rushed to the Dwemer King, greeting him warmly. "Welcome, King Dumac Dwarf-Orc to our humble dwelling. I do beg your pardon that we cannot afford too much hospitality at this very moment of crisis." Nerevar said with a slight bow.

"It is nice to be here nonetheless. So what is all the hurry about? Did misfortune strike already?"

"Luckily it had not, but it approaches our Northern towns as we speak."

The expression on the other's bearded Dwarven face turned to eager, if not vengeful. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's take back our land!"

Now the combined number of troops was seven legions, outnumbering even the full extent of the Nord's six legions. Nerevar didn't expect the King himself to appear on his door step though. But then again, the Dwemer never miss an opportunity for battle. It was possible to nearly feel their bloodlust at the prospect of fighting, like a frightening aura around them. They were ferocious fighters, no doubt about it, and their ingenuity in mechanics helped them gain advantages over others. They were also quite unforgiving and vengeful; they won't stop until they take what they want, or what is rightfully theirs. All of those facts were another reason that the Dwemer were a valuable ally. Now they could leave two of the Chimer legions at the castle in order to be able to respond if another attack occurs.

As much as Nerevar wanted to take all of his troops, his generals insisted that he left some troops behind. He sighed, calling upon Lieutenant Porat again, "Take only three legions of yours, leave the other two with Lieutenant Naron here at the castle. We'll advance with the Dwemer as well, five legions in all." With that order, everyone gave an inspired cheer and they were on their way out of the castle.

The day was unusually hot, no clouds dared to cover the orange globe in the middle of the sky. The only sound was of the dull metallic clatter of moving armor, echoing from thousands of soldiers, and the infrequent screech of the Dwemer centurions. The Tribunal and King Dumac marched in silence, each one occupied with their own thoughts and concerns. Nerevar could feel the heat seeping into his pores, making his armor feel heavier, weighing him down.

Beads of sweat trickled down the side of his face, the ground was dry and cracked underneath the yellow grass, and each step was more difficult than the previous one. The landscape changed as they moved across the terrain, not concentrating on the landmarks or villages that they passed. After what seemed like a scorching eternity, they finally noticed the Odai River, which ran in the middle of the town that they were heading toward. They crossed the Odai Plateau, continuing North along the river. Many of the troops stared longingly at the chilly, refreshing water as they marched across the bank.

Nerevar glanced back, realizing that the fighting hadn't started yet, while his troops were showing definite sighs of tiredness already. Nonetheless, they continued their determined pace, soon reaching the town. When they entered the calm area, its inhabitants were busily traversing the streets, giving the army surprised glances. They continued walking, when Nerevar abruptly stopped at the Northern edge of the town. He brought his hand up to wipe his damp forehead and looked ahead, trying to identify a few moving objects in the distance. He took a few steps forward and his eyes widened in utter shock as the shadowed silhouettes behind the hill started multiplying in numbers and becoming more visible.

This was the Nord army.

The enemy was all ready and rapidly advancing towards the town. "The Nords! Get everyone out of here! Lieutenant Porat, station your troops!" Nerevar desperately called out to his generals and officers. He turned back, his gaze falling on the many blissfully oblivious citizens still roaming the streets, doing their daily chores. This was the worst situation to be in. They cannot allow the town to become their battlefield.

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**Note:** Thanks a lot for continuing to stay tuned and reading! I'd absolutely love you if you post a review, please! Thanks again!


	9. Chap 9

**Note:** Hello fellow readers!

Thanks for continuing to read my story!

Please don't forget to **REVIEW**!

There is the next chapter, enjoy!

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Chapter 9: Vanquish the Nords

A clash was inevitable; the enemy troops were advancing with fearsome determination. Nerevar quickly prompted his generals and officers again; he had to do something to get civilians out of harm's way. "Get everyone out of here! Right now!" That said, Nerevar made his way towards the still serene villagers, trying to alert them of the danger. "This is going to be a war zone. Leave all of your possessions and evacuate from this town to the castle! _Immediately_!" He announced loudly, yet as frightened as some of the villagers looked, they didn't seem to make an effort to get out of the town.

Nerevar let out a frustrated sound and directed a meaningful glance at Dagoth, who was also informing the citizens of the impending threat. Dagoth's gaze turned back to his counterpart and he nodded in confirmation. In the following moment, Dagoth concentrated and summoned his wraith. The translucent apparition hovered above the ground while receiving its orders from Dagoth. As soon as its master gave the command, it glided away, disappearing in the midst of the heavily populated town. Its mission was to find Aunt Nimy and get her to safety at the castle.

Nerevar turned back to the source of danger, watching the Nord army descend the hill – which was perilously close to them. There was no time. He again made sure that his generals were trying their best to get the evacuation procedures under way, and hurriedly made his way back in front of his army to observe the Nords.

He considered stepping forward and negotiating with the Nords to buy them essential time, but thought against it. That attempt would most likely fail. Their enemy didn't like talking in the first place. And not to mention that at this very moment, they seemed more blood-thirsty than ever. Alright, so those were four legions of Nords against a combined total of five legions of Chimer and Dwemer descent. They had the advantage of numbers, so victory seemed quite possible. The only issue was the town that still boasted a full non-evacuated population. They couldn't afford civilian casualties, and he prayed that the Nords won't use it to their advantage.

"Lieutenant Porat, place the troops north of the town. Tight formations, usual positioning. Heavy infantry at the front, Medium infantry behind them. Archers at the sides, wizards and mages at the very back. Clerks and healers scattered throughout." The lieutenant nodded and started organizing the troops. After receiving further advice from Nerevar, King Dumac positioned his troops at the centre lines of the Chimer army, almost fully hidden from view. The alliance had one strong advantage, which was the Dwemer army. The Nords haven't yet encountered the Dwemer constructs, and they had to use it as best as they could.

Soon enough, the Tribunal and the Dwemer King stood in front of their troops, which were positioned in tight formation to defend the town. By that time, the Nord army stopped at the foot of the hill to the north. It was so close, that their front warriors were already clearly distinguished. It was obvious that the Nords were impatient and agitated; they all seemed to move about restlessly, waiting for orders from their leader. Without so much as a warning, the leader held up his axe and yelled something unrecognizable. In the next moment, all of the Nord troops repeated the gesture and it resulted in a deafening noise, echoing throughout the valley and engulfing the town.

Panic instantly spread across the town, frightened villagers began rushing around the streets. They were confused and scared; a few ran to escape, some retuned to their homes, while others didn't know what to do. It was a total mess. The fanatic yells didn't die down, as the Nords moved across the field, swarming down towards the Chimer like a plague of countless parasites.

The Tribunal readied their weapons, watching the unorganized army rush towards them. Just as they approached, the front lines of the Chimer parted to let Dwemer troops advance to the front. The sudden appearance of Dwemer constructs and centurions had the desired effect. Just before the Nords drew near their troops, surprise and confusion was evident, distorting their previously berserk expressions. Their running slowed and their movements became more hesitant. A wild grin appeared on King Dumac's face as he watched his troops demoralize the Nords. This gave them an effective advantage, and the Dwemer used it, sending their constructs forward. The large centurions, some walking, some rolling on wheels – slashed through the front lines of the Nords, crushing their soldiers and throwing them back with massive strikes. The Chimer troops took their opportunity to advance, emerging in between the constructs and oppressing the enemy.

The heat didn't let down, the sun seemed to burn even through their armor. It was becoming more difficult to breathe as the air became thicker with dust and the rising steam from the Dwemer centurions. The weather conditions made their fatigue decrease and it was becoming increasingly difficult to swing their weapons. But the alliance held the upper hand. It didn't last long enough though, as the opposing force seemed to adapt to the circumstances, using their agility and endurance to outrun the constructs and bring them to the ground. A few hours later, the Dwemer forces were strongly weakened, and they watched in silent despair as their favorite centurions lay in the rubble, unmoving and dismantled. Now the Chimer infantry took the front, trying to push the Nords back with tight formations.

Just as Nerevar brought down another Nord, he watched in startled disbelief as _more_ of the Nords poured down the hill towards them. It didn't make any sense! They already defeated several hundreds of Nords, and yet more were coming! He wiped the side of his face, where blood and sweat mixed, and winced at the open wound. He quickly scanned the area. Only four legions of Nords were reported to be here, how come he estimated over five legions already? How could they call so quickly upon their forces from the camp? This wasn't good at all – the Chimer and Dwemer became completely disadvantaged according to numbers. Their combined – now less than five legions – won't survive a full six legions of the Nords long enough to ensure a victory.

Nerevar was abruptly brought out of his assessment of the situation as he defended himself against another attacker. He frantically looked around to locate his generals. "Lieutenant Porat! We need reinforcements! Send for Lieutenant Naron's troops, hurry!" He yelled above the noise of battle, receiving a confirming nod. Nerevar turned back to the oncoming hordes of enemies.

A sharp swishing sound cut through the air, making him look up above the heads of furiously fighting troops. There a shadow of arrows flew above them. "Archers!" He warned the others. Just as he brought his shield up, the arrows never came down. Suddenly, louder screams were heard from behind them. Nerevar looked back at the town, registering – in horror – the image before him. The barrage of arrows was aimed towards the villagers. Some of them lay pinned to the ground, the streets becoming smeared with blood, and terrified shrieks emerged from other citizens. There was utter chaos now, not even half of the civilians evacuated yet! What were they doing all that time? Why were some of them rushing to their homes instead of fleeing? Why didn't they listen! There was no time to ask unanswered questions.

"Get the Archers!" He repeated, watching as a few battalions of mages levitated and started incantations. Soon, fire and various destructive forces rained down on enemy arches. This didn't stop the second onslaught of arrows that slammed into the town, bringing out more screams from the villagers. The Chimer troops were confused at the strikes that weren't directed at them, and the formations broke as the soldiers tried to reach the archers. Nerevar's eyes widened as the Nord front forces leapt forward, using the Chimer disorganization to their advantage in order to penetrate through the troops and into the town.

"Hold your ground!" Nerevar yelled out desperately, but it was too late. The arrows stopped piercing the air above them, but the Nord infantry forced their way through the gaps in the Chimer defense. The town was their new battlefield now – which was what Nerevar tried his hardest to prevent. New shrill screams of civilians mixed with battle cries, as the villagers were assaulted by the Nords. The Tribunal ordered their troops to retreat into the town and dispatch of the enemy. With the amount of casualties rising each passing moment, the spacious fields and the town streets became a graveyard to the thousands of fallen Chimer, Dwemer and Nords.

The alliance was smack in the middle, sandwiched in between Nord troops to the north and from the south. Weapons swung, shields shattered, arrows flew, yells ringed across the battlefield, and spells of all manner were endlessly cast. Enraged and pained shrieks mixed with metallic clangs and created an almost deafening screech – which did nothing to elevate their spirits. The Nord mages conjured enormous ice balls, launching them at the multitude of Chimer. The balls exploded upon contact, sending long sharp icicles bursting in all directions with lightning speed. A few Chimer battalions fell, the ice impacting a building and leaving a gaping hole in it.

The Nords issued another magical strike and suddenly Nerevar let out a pained scream as one of the sharp icicles pierced his right leg. At the same moment, two more Nords swung their weapons at him. He grimaced at the pain and brought his sword up to block the strikes of his attackers. The sharp movements made him stumble backwards and upon noticing a break in the other's defenses, he slashed at the nearest Nord, cutting him across the chest. The second Nord though, walloped his axe down, smashing it against Nerevar's blade. The young King lost his balance, falling onto the crimson stained ground. Just as the Nord was about to strike, he stopped in his tracks, blood sprouting from the large wound in his chest, where a large icy object protruded. The Nord collapsed lifelessly beside Nerevar, and the King let out a relieved sigh, finding himself lucky that the previous icicle hit only his leg.

He sat up and tried to pull the icicle out of his flesh, which was slowly but surely numbing him. With a harsh jerk and a pained groan, he wrenched the offending object out of his leg. He threw the ice aside, trying but failing to get to his feet. After another attempt, he reached down to his pouch, taking out one of the last health potions in his arsenal. He drank the entire bottle down, feeling the pain gradually disappear and his wounds heal. With rejuvenated strength, he got to his feet and rushed into the fray, driving his sword through as many Nords as he could.

Suddenly Nerevar caught the sight of an all-too-familiar figure being thrown against the wall of a crumbling building, as a result of a magical blast. He rushed to Dagoth, who was putting up a defensive barrier just as he was attacked by several warriors. Dagoth's right shoulder pauldron was shattered and his arm was bloodied – more cuts could be clearly distinguished. Nerevar pushed the offenders to the side and let them taste his steel, successfully dispatching of them.

He glanced at Dagoth, who could barely hold his own sword. "How many times do I have to tell you to bring potions?" Nerevar voiced sternly, reaching for another one of his own health potions. Dagoth gave a small chuckle in between heavy breaths. "I did, but they're all gone now." Nerevar shook his head in dismay, not at all entertained by the other's jest. "Then obviously you haven't brought enough." He replied, cupping the other Chimer's chin and brining the potion to his lips. Dagoth eagerly drank it, swallowing the smooth liquid and relishing in the feeling of replenishment. His grip tightened on his sword and he flashed a smile to his counterpart before they continued the battle.

The building that they just stepped away from collapsed in a matter of moments as another violent volley of destructive magic hit it. The damage to the town was immeasurable by all standards. But there wasn't enough time to weigh the facts now. Now they had to fight and win – a notion that seemed quite distant and far out there.

After several more hours, the alliance found itself in a very unsettling position, trapped – again – by the Nord army. This time, they were right alongside the remaining villagers in the town, surrounded by the frantic victory seeking Nords. Tens of thousands of bodies lay skewed across the ground, and it was the least of things to heighten their morale. They were losing, and fast. The Nords advanced on them, and through the shadows of the living, and the dirt of the dead, something glistened in the distance. It was from the south, behind the Nord troops – a glint of familiar armor. In between the constant movement and nearly opaque mixture of dust and air, Nerevar discerned the appearance of new organized Chimer legions.

A relieved smile lifted Nerevar's features as he watched Lieutenant Naron's troops hack their way to them. Soon enough, hope emerged for the alliance as the southern blockade of the Nords was diminished. With the added troops they again could hang onto the advantage of numbers. Once the troops united, they pushed outwards to crush their enemy with increased confidence. The Nords scattered about, slightly taken aback by the raw force with which the Chimer and Dwemer pushed back, expanding in all directions like an explosive force. The alliance seized their opportunity, egged on by their comrades and encouraged by the constant fall of the enemy.

Several more hours passed, the sun made a slow trail down towards the horizon, washing the scenery in a dark orange light. After some more struggle and battle, only a few hundred of Nords were left standing at the northern edge of the field. Some of them began leaving their formations and dashing for escape into the open field. This time though – the Chimer won't leave any of them alive. They made that mistake once, now realizing that those barbarians understood only power, not kindness. They couldn't risk a return of the invasion and they were intent on bringing justice to the offenders. The remaining Chimer and Dwemer troops dealt with the rest of their enemies, until not even the Nord leader was standing alive.

The sudden silence was more frightening than the previous chaotic concoction of sounds. Nerevar tried to regain his breath, his chest heaving, his weapon lowered, as his gaze focused on the bloody form of the Nord leader at his feet. A few moments, stretching around them like an eternity of silence, passed quietly. The troops stood still, not quite registering the fact that the battle was over – and that they in fact _won_.

The complete and utter silence was broken as the healers started to rush about, tending to the numerous hurt Chimer and Dwemer. Nerevar let out a sigh, his hand relaxed at his side, the battle was over. He ached all over; his battered body suffered yet again a few broken bones, deep cuts and bruises. He somehow managed to block out the pain though, and he turned around, staring in despair at the destroyed town. It lay in complete ruins. Heavy smoke nearly obscured all vision, yet the harm done to the area and the villagers was evident. Those buildings that remained more or less undamaged above the ash filled ground were mostly burning in flames of searing fire. Others had parts frozen over by the blizzards that were cast.

Nerevar moved closer, stepping onto the once neat brick road on the street. He couldn't keep his most important objective fulfilled – he couldn't protect the lives of innocent civilians. Bodies polluted the surroundings, some buried under the rubble, others littering the streets – they were slaughtered mercilessly. Nerevar crouched down, leaning on one knee onto the blackened ground. He took some of the dirt and let it slip through his fingers, watching the gains of dust in contemplation. He had failed his people. He heard distant cries and wails from the injured, as the healers rushed to help as fast as possible. A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder as Dagoth sat beside him. "You did your best, and you won us the battle." He said, yet Nerevar remained silent. "Don't blame yourself for the destruction. There are always casualties; there was nothing more you could do." His grip on the young King's shoulder tightened in a comforting gesture. "Now our peace is ensured." Nerevar nodded lightly, and a healer approached them. Soon their wounds were healed and they were completely revitalized.

Nerevar let out a heavy sigh and got up, followed by Dagoth. He decided that it would do him no good blaming himself for the tragedy that befell them. He truly couldn't do anything about that now. They will rebuild, repopulate, and this incident will surely be forgotten after centuries. Most importantly, the Nords were gone – completely – and a prosperous era is ahead of them.

Dumac approached them with a smile. "Congratulations my comrades! We showed those pathetic barbarians our true might! Ha Ha!" Nerevar smiled back, "We sure did. They won't dare come back anymore." The rest of the Tribunal joined them soon enough and exchanged compliments.

The sun already hid behind the line of the horizon, giving way to the starry night. The Dwemer and Chimer left the battlefield, marching slowly back to the castle. Only two legions survived on the Chimer front, while slightly more than half a legion of Dwemer troops with a few remaining constructs followed alongside them. Nerevar invited the Dwemer to rest and celebrate at his castle. The previous feast was held on Red Mountain, but this one will ensure the experience of the Chimer grandeur.

The Tribunal led the soldiers to the gates of their castle, entering with a relieved feeling of finally coming home after such a long and tiresome day. The lieutenants and officers gathered their battered battalions and led them indoors to rest. Nerevar caught sight of several villagers that managed to escape to the castle before the fighting broke out. He was informed that the rest of the escaped civilians stayed indoors and were made comfortable.

Dagoth called upon his pet Wraith and a relieved smile lit his and Nerevar's face as Aunt Nimy stepped out from the small crowd, walking alongside the apparition. Dagoth unsummoned his Wraith, sending it to rest in its home plane after fulfilling his duty. Nimy stepped closer to them and quite suddenly found herself in Nerevar's strong embrace. "I'm so glad you're alright! We were so worried!" He said, joy evident in his voice. Aunt Nimy smiled back, "It's all thanks to the stubborn Wraith. I never thought that I'd end up praising that annoying pet. But it came to me right before the fighting began. I, of course, didn't want to leave the town, but the Wraith wouldn't leave me alone. So just to get it to stop irritating me, I did what it said and fled here. And am I ever glad that I did." She replied. "Well, you definitely made the right choice. Now go inside, there is a room for you, and everything you need is set up on the third floor." Nerevar informed her and she soon headed indoors.

The Tribunal called upon a major feast, in the especially reserved banquet hall. It was perhaps one of the finest rooms in the castle – made especially for grand celebrations and exclusive events. The hall was at the top floor of the castle, taking luxuriously a quarter of the entire floor. The majestic doors held ancient Chimer ornaments, outlined with a crimson border of embedded ruby stones. Those were grand double doors, like many other entrances in the castle. On one side there was a large crescent sculpted out of flowing sliver and across from it was a golden star, shimmering under the low candle light. The royal and religious symbol. The moon-and-star.

The mighty doors opened to reveal a breathtaking view. Inside, the tall walls were covered with crystals of various sizes, protruding through the surface at different angles. They looked as if they were actually growing out of the surface of the walls, spreading everywhere in the shapes of stalactites and stalagmites. They were transparent with a hint of dazzling hues that danced across their smooth exterior. They seemed to even glow from their own core, emitting calming azure and sapphire lights that illuminated the room in a kind of a mystical ambiance. The ceiling stretched high and was almost unnoticeable, as it was fully carved out of glass, letting the bright stars in the sheet of darkness look down upon them.

In the middle of the room there was a massive marble table, standing on delicately carved legs. The chairs surrounding the table were tall and comfortable, and the King's royal seat stood taller than the rest. The room was truly marvelous, and the Dwemer King couldn't hide his astonishment at the sight. Soon the Tribunal, their lieutenants, King Dumac and his own officers settled down around the table, the feast starting instantaneously. The best musicians in all of Vvardenfell played at the back of the room. Servants rushed about, serving their guests. The hall filled with a joyful atmosphere, everyone was talking and relaxing. The Flin stocks and other Royal drinks were quickly depleting as the night wore on.

After a short while, the Dwemer King got up from his seat with a wide smile, holding up a silvery goblet of Royal Vintage. "I must congratulate everyone in this room of the most splendid victory that I've ever witnessed. This paves the way to eternal glory and serenity. I raise my goblet to the outstanding King before me. Hail to King Nerevar Indoril!" He exclaimed, and everyone else picked up their own drinks, uttering a united 'Hail!'. Nerevar was a bit taken by surprise at the genuine speech, and he slightly bowed his head in appreciation before gracefully getting up as well. With a small movement of his wrist, his own goblet was held up high. "It was an honor fighting alongside you. Hail to King Dumac Dwarf-Orc!" The rest repeated the exclamation, everyone taking a sip of their drinks. Both Kings sat back down and proceeded with the feast as the servants entered to bring more luxurious dishes.

Troubles and worries were soon forgotten as both races indulged in the ideas of glorious times that will come after his fateful day. Determined aspirations for peace and prosperity filled the countless conversations at the table, and time passed with much delight.

Nerevar tapped on his empty goblet, watching as one of the servants rushed to him to refill the liquid once again. The alchohol was starting to get to him. The room seemed a bit out of focus and his mind seemed surrounded in a blanket of haze. He had about a dozen refills throughout the night, not to mention the occasional proposed toasts that urged him to drink up. Chimer Royal Vintage, liquors and other beverages that they indulged in were quite strong and brought a dizzying quality to the surroundings.

He glanced to the left, where Vivec and Almalexia seemed a bit sleepy, and likely in the same state as him – if not worse. His gaze turned to the right, where Sotha Sil was eagerly conversing with one of the lieutenants, using much too joyful gestures. Then his violet eyes settled on the one beside him. The stature and the unmoving elegant profile of the dark haired Chimer showed that he was not even slightly affected by the addictive pull of the fluid in his goblet. Dagoth was as always holding his alcohol well, determined to watch carefully the surroundings and make sure that nothing went out of hand. He calmly surveyed the table. In the next moment, he turned towards Nerevar, and was a bit surprised to find the other's gaze fixed upon him. A smile graced the tall Chimer's face as he noticed Nerevar's slightly flushed features and disoriented look. "How's the wine?" He asked amusingly. "Not bad at all…" Nerevar murmured, catching the goblet in between his slender fingers and bringing it up to his lips while taking a sloppy sip. Dagoth watched in marvel as the liquid moistened Nerevar's red lips. He was strongly tempted to cover those luscious lips with his own and do unthinkable things to the lightly drunken beauty before him. Nerevar merely gave him a half-teasing smile, continuing to sip on the drink.

A few more hours passed, and the banquet seemed to be drawing to a close. Some of the guests were nearly asleep, pretending to listen to the enthusiastic babbling of their comrades. The Dwemer King was leaning upon the table and finishing his drink, before he got up and informed them that the Dwemer had a marvelous night – but unfortunately they had to get back. After the exchange of warm thanks, the visitors filtered out of the room, followed by the Chimer lieutenants. The Tribunal was left last at the table. Vivec and Almalexia wished the rest a good night and headed out of the room, followed by Sotha Sil who mumbled something under his breath. The last to exit were Nerevar and Dagoth, the two got to their feet and instantly Dagoth brought his hand to his counterpart's waist to stabilize the slightly wobbling figure.

"Had a couple too many goblets of vintage?" He asked teasingly, receiving the best attempt of a glare that Nerevar could muster. "Hey, don't imply your extraordinary ability in not getting drunk!" Nerevar retorted as he stepped out of the other's hold, determined to make it to the chambers without Dagoth's help. The taller Chimer let out a small chuckle, watching Nerevar somehow make his way to the door. "I never said I wasn't affected by the alcohol… just not quite as much as you…" He drawled, moving closer to his counterpart and catching him right before he lost his balance. Nerevar stopped his attempts in trying to walk alone and let Dagoth lead them to their chambers. As soon as they were inside, they took off their battle attires and stayed in their comfortable shirts and pants underneath.

Just as Dagoth was finishing placing his armor on the cabinet, his actions were abruptly stopped as he felt smooth hands encircle him from behind. Nerevar reached under Dagoth's shirt and brushed his fingers over his torso. Dagoth marveled in the feeling, turning around to face Nerevar, who had a coy grin across his lips. "Feeling a bit playful tonight, hm?" Dagoth purred and leaned down to capture Nerevar's lips, moving his hands eagerly over the other's back. Nerevar let a slight moan escape him as the other's tongue dominated his mouth. After a few moments of bliss, the young King broke the kiss, slightly drowsy from the combination of excessive alcohol and the addictive touch of his lover.

He leaned closer and lifted Dagoth's shirt, ridding him of the upper garment before tossing it aside. Just as Dagoth leaned forward to do the same to him, Nerevar stepped out of arm's reach with a smile. His impatient companion was about to protest, when he swiftly noticed Nerevar's hands slide sensually down to his own hips before moving upwards. He glanced at Dagoth through lust filled eyes and moved his hands over his skin, pushing up the soft fabric of his shirt along the way. Dagoth stood mesmerized, watching the seductive play of his partner that revealed more and more of his golden skin. Soon the obscuring garment was off, and Dagoth couldn't stop himself from launching forward, taking a hold of the other's waist and pressing their bodies together, all the while conquering Nerevar's willing mouth.

As much as he didn't want to pull back, the amethyst-eyed Chimer was intent on teasing his partner. He untangled himself from the other's hold and took a few steps back, gazing at Dagoth with a mischievous smile. Dagoth let out a disappointed groan as the beauty slipped from his arms. Nerevar was quite obviously and mercilessly teasing him, and he didn't know if he had enough willpower to stop himself from just throwing the other onto the floor and ravaging him right there and then. He moved forward, advancing onto the other with a smirk, "You think you can torment and elude me like that…?" Nerevar let out a small chuckle before replying, "I don't think so – I know so." He continued moving backwards and blinked in surprise when his back hit the firm wall behind him. Dagoth's smirk grew and he continued advancing onto his prey, and upon reaching him, he effectively pinned Nerevar to the wall with the weight of his body. The smaller male let out a slight gasp and Dagoth took the opportunity to taste Nerevar's lips once again, finding the essence of liquor. One of his legs moved between Nerevar's and he slightly parted them, pressing against Nerevar's crotch. Nerevar let out a strained moan, pressing back against the other and slightly bucking his hips, which earned him a pleased groan from Dagoth.

Nerevar's hands moved up to Dagoth's shoulders and brushed over the heated skin before pushing the other back. This took Dagoth by surprise and he loosened his grip, watching as Nerevar moved away from him. This was it – Dagoth couldn't hold back any longer – Nerevar looked far too delicious, far too seductive and provocative. He caught the wrist of the retreating form and pulled him roughly onto the bed, crawling on top of him and pinning Nerevar's hands down. Nerevar gave a surprised sound as he quite suddenly found himself underneath the other; pinned and unable to get up. Dagoth's smirk was predatory as he leaned down and suckled on Nerevar's neck, "Mn…you're being very naughty tonight…" He murmured in between kisses, grazing his teeth over the sensitive skin and eliciting a low moan from his captive. "Maybe I should get you drunk more often…" He continued with a smirk and let his teeth clamp over Nerevar's neck, receiving a sharp moan from him. "…Voryn – Ahn! …" Dagoth bit harder and heard a louder moan from the other, before pulling back and leaving a red mark on Nerevar's skin.

Once certain that the other will not continue to struggle, he released his hold on Nerevar's hands and moved to the other's pants, pulling them down along with his boxers. He dispatched of his own clothing, leaning down and drinking in the astounding image of Nerevar underneath him. The young King's face was flushed, his hair ruffled, and his chest slightly heaving. Dagoth smiled and captured Nerevar's lips again in a heated kiss, while his hand moved over the other's erection, hearing the pleasured sounds that came from the swollen lips of the one under him. His hand moved lower to spread Nerevar's legs wider, but he was met with resistance as the other started struggling. Dagoth let out a possessive growl and took a hold of Nerevar's thigh, trying to stop the squirming. His breathing was becoming heavier as he felt the writhing body of his lover.

"…Nerevar…uhh…stop…moving…" Dagoth breathed out, but Nerevar didn't listen, instead biting Dagoth's lower lip and moving sensually beneath him. Dagoth's grip tightened on the other's thigh and he forcefully pushed the other's legs apart. Nerevar gasped and let out a small moan, feeling the other's hard erection press against him. He kissed the other's lips, wrapping his arms around Dagoth and pressing their bodies closer together. Dagoth closed his eyes and kissed his way to Nerevar's neck, breathing heavily. "Nerevar…stop doing that…I don't want to hurt you…" It took every ounce of his willpower to stop himself from violently dominating his lover. "Voryn…please…I want you…Voryn…" The sweet sound of his name on Nerevar's lips was enough to send him over the edge, and he lost all of his restraint – ramming hard into him. An ecstatic and slightly pained cry was elicited from Nerevar's throat as he arched his back and felt himself being filled completely by his lover. Dagoth groaned out in pleasure and began thrusting into Nerevar, completely overwhelmed with the scorching desire and the euphoric feel of his lover. They found a fast and hard rhythm, and the room was engulfed with blissful sounds as the two basked in each other's intimacy. After what seemed like a heavenly eternity, Dagoth thrust a few final times and threw his head back, screaming his release. Nerevar came soon after him and felt Dagoth collapse on top of him.

They wrapped their arms around each other and stayed unmoving in content, soon closing their eyes and slipping into the realm of dreams. Just before he fell asleep, Dagoth whispered against Nerevar's ear, "I love you, so much…My dear Nerevar…" Even though he heard no reply from the already sleeping figure next to him, he knew that the other felt the same.

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**Note:** Whoo! That was a long one! I really hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me if you did!


	10. Chap 10

**Note:** I'm very sorry for the delay once again, and I know you're probably tired of my excuses, but some misfortunes happened in my family a while ago…and I couldn't continue my writing for some time.

But here I am again! I'm back and I'm bringing you the update that you've all been waiting for!

Here is the next chapter! Don't forget to **Review please** - make me happy!

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Chapter 10 – The Revelation

Nerevar slowly opened his eyes, finding it difficult to shake sleep off on this dull and nearly sunless autumn day. There was no bright sun to pierce through the window and force him to wake up, only gray sky with obscure clouds that stretched to infinity. The young King sighed, realizing everyday how much more he missed the bright summer days.

It was the year 1E 419, three years have passed since the fateful day of Chimer and Dwemer alliance, in which they fought and defeated a common foe – the invasion of the Nords. Following those events, the two races basked in a period of prosperity and peace. All of the fallen towns and villages were rebuilt, the Dwemer and Chimer worked in unison for a faster recovery and they both shared the load, the land, and eventually the long awaited hospitality.

Today though was another autumn day, and Nerevar turned to the side, stretching out his hand to reach for his counterpart, but soon realizing that the bed was void beside him. He was about to protest at the lack of warmth, when he remembered what Dagoth said earlier. The taller Chimer didn't fail to inform the King that he had yet another meeting with his house. Nerevar frowned at the fact, not liking the idea that Dagoth was up and away nearly every single morning, attending those mind atrophying conferences.

Not to mention that it was a bit odd for the House of Dagoth to gather up so often. They were responsible for reporting about Dwemer territory and any activities that were witnessed there as means of precaution, to which Nerevar personally didn't fully approve, but he knew it was necessary. What was concerning though was that so far Dagoth informed him that they were building a report against their trusted allies.

Nerevar decided not to dwell on it any longer and to come down to see if any of his generals were up yet. He had several questions to ask. He quickly got out of bed, dressed up and was soon ready to leave the chambers. He made his way out of the room, across the decorated hall and down the spiraling stairs. Once he was on the correct floor, he continued forward, in the direction towards the dining hall, where he assumed his generals would be – unless they were still sleeping, but that was unlikely. The young King was the only one that always slept in and came in late, and to his amusement, it always annoyed Sotha Sil into grumbling with irritation.

He slightly slowed his pace as he passed in the long hallway, where on either side of him each massive wooden door held the entrance to a separate meeting hall. He was finally nearing the dinning hall, when suddenly one of the doors to the left swung open. He stopped his advance and watched a dozen officers, along with many reporters flow out of the room. The officers noticed Nerevar's presence and each quickly stepped up to him with a slight bow and greeting. Nerevar nodded at the welcoming greetings of "Bright Dawn my King." From the cluster of Chimer as they spread throughout the hallway, and he soon spotted an all-too-familiar figure among the dispersing crowd.

"How was your sleep, Nerevar?" Dagoth asked brightly as he approached his counterpart.

"Awful." Nerevar replied still in a half sleepy tone.

"What, you missed me?" The taller Chimer prompted with an amused smile.

"Of course… – not! What would even make you think that?" The King replied in mock arrogance while trying to suppress a chuckle. A wide grin appeared on Dagoth's face and he shrugged, replying with a returned chuckle. "Thought I'd ask."

Nerevar smiled back with affection at the one before him, and they started walking towards the dining hall. "So what did you discuss in the meeting, any news?" Nerevar asked with mild curiosity.

"Grim news indeed, Nerevar." Dagoth's voice turned from the previously amused tone, to a steady and completely serious one. Nerevar's smile instantly disappeared and he spared a glanced at the other, waiting for him to continue. "As you know, our scouts took up extra patrols in the Dwemer area to investigate further into the strange activities that were reported. The fact that our allies seem to be more secretive and quiet than usual brought us more suspicion."

"So you are saying that they might be plotting something…?" Nerevar said doubtfully, not liking at all the idea of the Dwemer acting this way, there was no reason for them to be secretive. He had many meetings with Dumac, and the Dwemer King seemed absolutely content and unfazed, as well as sincere and honest as always. If there would have been any kind of problem, King Dumac would have surely informed him – they have been ruling jointly as both allies and friends and they shared everything. He certainly was skeptic about those reports.

"Yes, unfortunately our scouts believe that they are hiding something important. It took us those past several months to find out what it was, and today I was presented with the answer - the Dwemer found some kind of an artifact." Dagoth said, glancing at the confused expression of his counterpart, before continuing. "From what we know, that artifact is very powerful, it is a great magical stone – and worst of all, the Dwemer started worshipping it." Nerevar's eyes widened in bewilderment at the disclosure, and his mind wasn't even close to accepting this information as the truth.

Nerevar's silence allowed Dagoth to continue, and his voice was slightly tainted with worry. "This is a very unsettling ordeal, because we don't know the full capacity of that object, and it may very well be dangerous. Not to mention that the Dwemer are doing it all in secret, they are hiding it from us."

Nerevar listened with clear shock written on his features, and he didn't find anything to reply while he was processing the disturbing news. They soon reached the dinning room and entered it, and the young King was once again bombarded with greetings from the already sitting members of the Tribunal.

"'Morning Nerevar!" Vivec greeted cheerfully.

"Did you have a good night's rest?" Almalexia voiced with a smile.

"So, what are we up to _today_…?" Came the lazy question from Sotha Sil.

Those three generals seemed to have finished with their own meetings in the morning and they were just about to call in the servants for breakfast. Nerevar was far too preoccupied to reply, instead slowly sitting down on his chair and shaking his head in disbelief. "No, there must have been some mistake, this cannot be correct. I have seen no odd behavior from Dumac, and there is no reason for them to hide anything from us."

"Strangely, only the King's High Priest Kagrenac and his circle of devoted subjects were spotted at the area of the artifact. They seemed to worship it." Dagoth replied pensively.

"That is absurd! It doesn't make sense. What is that artifact anyway?" Nerevar said, and just as he finished speaking, Vivec instantly cut in, "Ah yes! The treacherous Dwemer! Word has reached us that they are doing something secretive, something terrible! So yes, what _is_ that artifact that you're talking about?" He asked, waiting for a reply from Dagoth.

"Our scouts have heard one of the Dwemer name it 'The Heart of Lorkhan'. They believe it is the heart of a fallen god and that it contains powerful magic." Dagoth replied, glancing back at the generals before him.

"It cannot be… we're known the Dwemer for so long! They won't just start worshipping some unknown stone." Nerevar interjected.

"Then they are definitely plotting something against us!" Vivec exclaimed.

"Those ungrateful Dwemer! We should have seen it coming!" Almalexia said.

"I _have_ seen it coming!" Sotha Sil said.

"We should have never trusted them, they were always our enemies and now they found some kind of a way to gain advantage over us! Azura damned they be! Only she may know what in oblivion they might be up to! This is serious matter!" Vivec continued, but Nerevar listened silently, bringing his hand up to refuse the goblet of wine that the servants brought.

Soon Almalexia continued with the same train of thought, "That's right! And we have enough evidence to prove the danger that is threatening us from our 'supposed' allies."

At this, Nerevar couldn't keep his comments at bay any longer, "Spies and treachery on _our_ behalf is hardly any evidence! There is no material proof; it might be something different from what we think. They were our friends for years! They still _are_! How can you take this so lightly and accept this theory when we didn't even see it with our own eyes?!" His voice was loud and accusing, though a small pang of uncertainness nudged him at the back of his mind.

"We cannot endanger the well being of our race, Nerevar. We must take into consideration the slightest information provided by our loyal and capable scouts. You must look realistically at it. You can't choose to be blind to the truth, simply because of your foolish love for the Dwemer race, their King, and peace!" Vivec countered, in a slightly calmer manner this time.

"We cannot assume anything until we know of their intentions." Nerevar said.

"Exactly! We don't know _anything_ about their intentions! What if they are trying to overthrow you? Take Resdayn all for their own? They've wanted it in the past." Vivec reasoned, his grip tightening with anxiousness around the cup of elixir in his hand.

"We go to war!" Sotha Sil announced loudly and slammed his own cup on the table.

"Let us take Resdayn all for ourselves! … All for _your_self, Nerevar! You will rule it alone as the only King of this land!" Vivec said with encouragement.

"Let's rid the land of this nuisance called the Dwemer!" Almalexia chimed in, and Nerevar's eyes widened in shock once again at the barbaric show of his generals, not believing what he had heard. He instantly stood up, slightly shaking the table in the process.

"Silence!" It was a command, and everyone obeyed. There was a short uneasy silence, where Nerevar glared angrily at his generals.

He turned to Vivec, firstly directing his words at him. "Are you crazy? What in oblivion got into you? I don't have any intentions to over take the Dwemer rule! We have lived in peace for years – and who would dare to say that those were anything less than remarkably prosperous years!" His gaze turned to Sotha Sil, "And war is out of the question! What were you talking about? We have no proof to present any accusations! There will be no further argument on that." Once certain that none of his generals will continue to object, he sighed and slightly relaxed, placing his hands on the table. "For now we have to see if the Dwemer can justify their actions, or at least find out if they are truly up to something, or not." Nerevar said and his tone was much calmer than before.

"Are you suggesting we should pay a visit to them?" Dagoth prompted.

"They will surely hide it!" Vivec interrupted.

"Dumac has never hidden anything from me, and there is no reason for him to start doing that." Nerevar stated and took a step away from the table. "I am going there right now, whether you want to join me or not." He replied and turned to leave the dinning hall. He soon found himself back in his chambers, rampaging through the dresser for suitable attire.

Deep in thought, he finally fastened his sword and turned around, suddenly bumping into a familiar figure that blocked is way. "Woah! Slow down, Nerevar. Wait for me, will you?" Dagoth asked brightly and went to the dresser as well.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to." Nerevar replied, it really didn't seem like any of his generals agreed with his point of view.

"Why would I not want to? I would like to accompany my King." Dagoth spoke softly, moving closer to wrap his arms around his counterpart from behind. "Besides, I'm interested to hear Dumac's opinion." He continued, pressing a soft kiss to Nerevar's earlobe. "Don't worry; it's going to be alright." He said reassuringly, feeling the other slightly relax in his embrace. Nerevar nodded and soon felt the other's strong arms let go of him, watching as Dagoth moved back to dress himself.

It wasn't long before the two Chimer found themselves outside of the castle, walking briskly across the lush terrain and in the direction of Red Mountain – the Dwemer territory. Nerevar was intent on clearing his matter up once and for all, and he desperately hoped that those horrible rumors were nothing but rumors. Their alliance provided so many benefits, and finally a lasting peace – but it all seemed at risk right now.

The dull autumn weather hid the sun behind thick clouds, leaving a dark and unclear ambiance that paralleled his worried thoughts. Most of the trip passed in silence, and the land soon changed into the familiar dry and dusty wasteland of Red Mountain. The Dwemer welcomed them as warmly as ever, quickly inviting them to join the hosts in the banquet hall.

"So what brings me the honor of seeing my dear friends today?" Dumac asked excitedly as Nerevar and Dagoth took their seats at the table. In front of them, Nerevar noticed that beside the Dwemer King, sat Lord Kagrenac. He was the King's High Priest and magecrafter. This High Priest has been introduced to the Chimer King at the beginning of their alliance, but Nerevar didn't see Kagrenac very often – the magecrafter didn't usually attend their meetings. It was a bit strange, but Nerevar shrugged it off. A few more Dwemer generals stood at the back of the room in their usual places.

Finally, after glancing around the room, Nerevar looked back at Dumac and replied with a smile. "Thank you for your ongoing hospitality. We came to see how you've been my old friend. How are things going? Is there anything new?"

Dumac returned a sincerely joyful smile. "Ah! How very splendid of you to visit me like this. I've been well, everything is just as usual – quiet and steady. I bear no news. Petty crime and bandits have been the only problems, and they are the least of my concerns, everything else is the same. The economy is well, and I'm very glad that finally our citizens can work alongside yours in the many mines and regions that were once divided between us."

Nerevar nodded in agreement, it was true that now the Chimer and Dwemer shared the workload, supported one another and lived in harmony – it was marvelous. This was what he strived for all along. "Those are good news indeed. I'm glad that everything is going well, and it brightens my heart to see our citizens work together." So far so good, the Dwemer King seemed very sincere and it looked like he truly wasn't hiding anything. But he soon remembered Dagoth's words, which warned him of the proficient ability of the Dwemer to hide their secrets very well.

Before the Chimer King could continue the discussion though, Kagrenac decided to direct a comment at Dagoth. "I've seen your agents around." The blunt remark caught the two Chimer off guard, but Dagoth quickly reposed himself. "Of course you have, my agents scout all of Resdayn to spot any danger."

"Really? Then why were there more of them in _our_ territory lately?" Kagrenac continued, and Dagoth frowned at the quite direct and blunt accusation, which wasn't without foundation, but it was definitely impolite.

"Kagrenac, don't you dare speak like this with our prized friends!" King Dumac interjected, appalled at the way his High Priest was blaming the Chimer.

"Forgive me sire." The Priest replied, though his gaze stayed unwelcoming towards the two visitors.

A short uneasy silence followed the small quarrel, but unfortunately Nerevar had to return to the same topic. "King Dumac, are you sure that everything is the same? Have you found anything unusual lately?" Dumac gazed in slight confusion at the other King, trying to understand what the other was implying. "No, as I have said before, there are no news at all…" Nerevar gave a small sigh, taking a sip from the Dwemer vintage that was presented to him. "Have you found any unusual artifacts?" Came the more direct question from Nerevar, who was trying patiently to encourage the Dwemer King to reveal anything that he might have hid. But Dumac only gazed back with more confusion written on his features. "What artifact? I'm not following you…"

At this, Kagrenac who was tapping on his goblet impatiently, couldn't hold back anymore. "Sire! Look at what our _dear friends_ are doing! They are implying that we're not telling them the truth!"

"Kagrenac hold your tongue! I will not tolerate such speech. Let them ask of us what they will." King Dumac said, nearly infuriated at his Priest. He then turned back to Nerevar, "Please friend, what did you mean?"

"We have discovered an artifact, which is potentially dangerous, somewhere nearby. And we were wondering if you were aware of it." Nerevar said, and Dumac still looked mildly puzzled, shaking his head in denial. "I do not know anything about that artifact, we found nothing." After a small moment of contemplation, he continued. "So where is it? What is the danger? What can we do about it?"

Before Nerevar could reply, the Priest interjected once more. "My Liege, the Chimer are accusing us of finding and using a dangerous artifact – this is unspeakable." Dagoth noticed as the Priest's well reserved expression became slightly more agitated and perhaps worried, which hid behind his mask of anger. Dagoth had quite a knack for reading the emotions of others.

"Well, no they can't be doing that…because we don't know anything about it…" The Dwemer King answered slowly and unsurely.

"Exactly! We don't know anything, so quit your questioning." Kagrenac added, addressing the two visitors.

Nerevar was slightly taken aback by the nearly hostile tone of the Dwemer Priest. He knew that this kind of hospitality would not get them very far, but he already received the answer that he was looking for. "We weren't accusing you in any manner, we did not mean any disrespect, and we don't have anymore questions." He stood up from the table, instantly followed by Dagoth, and with a small bow Nerevar continued. "Thank you for your time, it was very pleasing to see you again, King Dumac. Please excuse my rudeness, but we should be going now. I hope you won't hesitate to come visit us as well." He finished with a smile and turned to leave the room.

It wasn't long before Nerevar's golden boots stepped off the red soil of the Dwemer territory, and onto the small blades of grass that already began to sprout. Nerevar was still not one hundred percent sure about what the Dwemer planned, but he kept on convincing himself that Dumac was telling the truth – it would diminish the King's honor to lie to his allies. Not to mention the fact that Dumac had never hid anything from him, they were open and honest throughout their years of acquaintance.

A short way off, they stopped on a small hill, and Nerevar turned to Dagoth. "Voryn, what do you think? Who should we trust, the scouts or King Dumac?" Dagoth pondered in silence for a moment before replying. "The scouts are our agents. They have no reason to lie – heck, they'll be beheaded if they did. They only inform."

"But King Dumac seemed truthful."

"But his High Priest seemed very alarmed by the conversation."

Nerevar nodded solemnly. It was true, Kagrenac did seem quite distressed, but even if the Priest knew something, it was impossible for the King not to know it as well. He felt that there was something more to it, but a part of him wanted to dismiss the thought. He didn't want to ruin the strong bonds of friendship with the Dwemer, the two races worked well together – they were at peace at last. But with a glance at his counterpart, he resolved to finding out the truth. If he wanted to solve this crisis, he had to know for sure – but how?

"Do not trouble yourself Nerevar, we'll find a solution together. Azura watches over us." Dagoth voiced, stepping in front of Nerevar and wrapping his arms around the smaller Chimer in a comforting embrace. Nerevar smiled and listened to the other's words, when suddenly the last sentence brought realization upon him – Azura! She was the only force that could ever guide him in the right direction when all else failed. And right now he needed her guidance to tell him what to do next. He slightly pulled back from Dagoth, "Azura – that's right! We shall travel to her shrine and ask for her guidance, she will surely help us." He said with an excited smile, pulling back from the embrace and leading them to their new destination.

And so, half way towards the castle, they changed their course to the East, heading in the direction of Holamayan, the sacred temple of Azura. Nerevar's thoughts were blissfully content as they walked with a light chatter. After quite some time, they finally reached the rocky landscape that surrounded Azura's shrine, which stood tall and welcoming above them. They made their way up and stood in front of the stone door, which wasn't willing to open just yet. There were still a few more hours until dusk.

Dagoth moved to sit down at a comfortably flat rocky formation, motioning for his counterpart to do the same. "Rest a bit, take a nap – you've had a long day. I'll wake you up when the first star appears." He said with a smile, watching Nerevar step closer and sit down next to him. "What about you? You should get some sleep too." The amethyst eyed Chimer said with concern, but Dagoth shook his head in dismissal. "No, it's alright, I'm not that tired. Go ahead, I'll wake you." Nerevar sighed and nodded, giving a small smile before settling for a much needed nap, and letting his heavy eyelids close and give into sleep.

For those few hours Dagoth laid back against the stones, watching out for any danger and gazing up at the changing sky. The sun started disappearing behind the distinct line of the horizon, and his gaze turned to the sleeping figure beside him. He reached forward to gently brush his fingers through the other's soft hair, gazing at Nerevar's beautiful features, which were illuminated by the orange glow of the fading sun. Soon enough, the darkness started seeping into the sky, slowly enveloping the unconfined space and leaving in its wake a brightly shining first star. Dagoth moved his hand to Nerevar's shoulder, lightly shaking him.

After a moment, Nerevar slightly shifted, turning onto his back, but refusing to wake up. Dagoth smiled, deciding to use another method to pull the other out of his sleep. Suddenly, the young King, still in his sleepy state, felt warm lips press against his. He instinctively leaned up into the soft kiss, enjoying the proximity of his lover. Dagoth slowly pulled back and watched the deep amethyst eyes of his beloved open and gaze up at him. He smiled in satisfaction at his successful wake-up method.

"Dusk has arrived, shall we continue into Azura's shrine?" Dagoth said, as Nerevar reached up and gently brushed his fingers over the other's face with a content smile, before pulling away and getting up. "Yes, thank you for waking me, we shall continue." Dagoth nodded and followed his King.

Nerevar glanced at the stone door, which now glowed in a light blue hue. He pressed a hand to its cold surface, watching the door slide open and let them in. The two Chimer entered the interior of the shrine, hearing a scraping noise of stone against stone as the door closed behind them. The place was dark and imperturbable, but not uncomfortable, as if detached from the entire world around them. This was the perfect place to meditate, the perfect place to ask for guidance. The mystical blue flames emitted an ethereal glow, which created a somewhat welcoming ambience none-the-less.

This shrine always brought peace of mind to him, and so he eagerly approached the enormous statue of the Goddess Azura, standing proudly with a moon in one outstretched hand, and a star in the other. Nerevar then shifted, moving down to one knee, while Dagoth did the same.

"Azura, Mother of the Rose, Queen of the Night Sky, goddess who's sphere is dusk and dawn, embracing the magic in-between realms of twilight – I ask for your divine guidance in these troubled times. Would you grand me some of your knowledge and wisdom?" Nerevar voiced, gazing up at the statue and hoping that Azura would answer his pleas.

Suddenly, a translucent apparition formed in front of the statue, resembling the exact same figure of the goddess. "Welcome, Nerevar Indoril and Voryn Dagoth. I will grant you your request." She replied in an unearthly voice that vibrated throughout the interior.

A grateful smile appeared on Nerevar's face and he stood up, bowing in respect to the goddess. "I have a crisis, concerning the Dwemer. I need to know…if there is any truth about that artifact, if it actually exists and if the Dwemer are truly worshipping it." As soon as he finished speaking, the gentle tone of Azura answered. "I felt this was troubling you, young King, and I will share my knowledge. The House of Dagoth is correct. Your generals and scouts speak the truth. The Dwemer do worship a new and profane power – The Heart of Lorkhan."

Nerevar's eyes widened in shock as he listened, astonished at the revelation. Now it was clear – the Dwemer King lied to him! He deceived him! Betrayed him! "What exactly is the Heart of Lorkhan?" Nerevar finally decided to ask, holding back the anger that threatened to overwhelm his still shocked mind. If he wanted to solve this problem, he had to think clearly and logically, and he had to know more about the artifact and the problem that he was facing. "The Heart of Lorkhan was discovered beneath Red Mountain by the Dwemer, not long ago. It is a stone. It holds strong magical powers. Beware of what the Dwemer may use it for. I can say no more."

Nerevar listened in silence, absorbing as much information as he was given, before nodding and bowing down before the goddess. "Thank you, my eternal goddess Azura. I am forever grateful for your divine insight and guidance." He said.

Dagoth stood up and bowed. "We thank you, valiant goddess Azura." The taller Chimer said.

"I am pleased to help you King Nerevar Indoril. May the both of you go with my blessings, King Nerevar and Lord Dagoth." And with that, Azura disappeared, and silence returned once more to this divine shrine.

Dagoth glanced at his counterpart, who seemed to stand motionless in front of the statue. "Nerevar, let us return to the castle and get some needed rest, we will have time for thoughts and actions later." Nerevar listened quietly, slowly turning towards his general. "…I trusted them…" The young King said, gazing at Dagoth with a mixture of confusion and sorrow. "I know, but they turned out to be deceitful allies. It seems that we might never be able to create true peace with the Dwemer." Dagoth voiced, and Nerevar nodded silently, and without further ado he led them out of the shrine.

He was still flabbergasted to say the least. This meant that all those years with the Dwemer as allies could have been just one big lie, one big hoax, which ruined his dreams of peace and trust. What if they truly planned on taking over Resdayn all along? And this friendliness was just a disguise?

With his reeling thoughts, Nerevar didn't notice how quickly time passed, and they made their way back to the castle. The gates to the courtyard quickly opened and the two stepped through. Even though it was late at night, the courtyard was as alive at the moment, as it was usually during the day. The rest of the Tribunal, along with other Lieutenants and soldiers patrolled the area, before eagerly noticing the two arriving figures. And they were instantly greeted by the rest of the Tribunal. "Nerevar! Voryn! You are back! Are you two alright? What took you so long? We were getting ready to pay a visit to our Dwemer neighbors to find out what kept you!" Vivec exclaimed. "What did you find out?" Almalexia prompted.

Without waiting any further, Nerevar stepped forward. "You, my wise generals were correct." He began, already receiving a few surprised, yet pleased expressions from the Tribunal. "The Dwemer lied to us. They have deceived our trust! And they dirty their hands with foul matters. They worship a stone – a very powerful one. And their act of unholy worship may cost us dearly!" Nerevar spit out, anger clearly etched upon his usually serene features. The show of strong emotion startled even his generals for a few moments, but they soon took advantage of it. "I told you those were lying bastards!" Sotha Sil cut in. "We will make them stop their cursed worship – by force if we have to!" Vivec continued. "Yes! Let's go to war! It is the only sane solution!" Sotha Sil voiced excitedly. But the generals heard only silence from their King, though they still saw the fury in his eyes as he contemplated. "Nerevar! Do you see now? Violence is the only solution!" Almalexia interjected, and Vivec watched the King with eagerness. "War and Honor is what we will do – what say you?" The question rang loudly with hope for a bloody solution.

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**Note:** That was a long one! I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading, and PLEASE **review**! Thank you!


	11. Chap 11

**Note:** Hello Everybody!

I hope everyone is not getting too stressed out in the exam period!

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And without further ado, there is the next chapter!

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Chapter 11 – Quiet before the Storm

Nerevar's mind reeled with a mixture of jumbled emotions – there was no room for logic thought. He was so infuriated with all the new events and situations that he couldn't control his reactions. The sadness that settled in him was now pushed away and replaced by anger. It was such pure and raging anger that fired up his thoughts in the direction of impulsive actions. The scorching flames of fury were partly directed at himself, for the thought that he could have somehow prevented all of this from happening – that he should have seen it sooner and done something about it. But another part of the rage was directed towards King Dumac, who was as a friend and ally _obliged_ to share everything with him – and he had not done his duty – or worse yet, he had lied unflinchingly to the Chimer King and kept such pivotal information hidden.

He faintly heard the propositions that his generals made, and after a few more moments he managed to process them. Without any change to his facial expression, or to his calm tone, he replied.

"I agree."

If his mind wasn't so confused and practically shut against common sense, he would have never even considered the absurd ideas that his generals carelessly threw at him. Instead he accepted, to quench his anger. But then again, along with the resentment came a heavy feeling of guilt, especially for not trusting his own fellow generals, who always advised him correctly. If Nerevar would have cared to glance at his generals' expressions, he would have seen clear shock written on their faces. But after the initial astonishment had passed, all of the generals - except for the tall dark haired Chimer that stood next to Nerevar - brightened up.

Vivec's features lifted with a self-satisfied smirk, Sotha Sil looked as though he was ready to kiss a guar with joy, and Almalexia kept staring at Nerevar with something akin to confusion, interest, and contemplation. Only Dagoth's features held a hint of concern and even slight worry. Nerevar though, didn't pay attention to any of this, and instead he bid everyone a good night and headed into the castle. Dagoth glanced at the other three members of the Tribunal in disapproval, but affirmed to the fact that it was too late to try and argue about the agreement. The Tribunal gazed after Dagoth's retreating form with victorious expressions.

It wasn't long before Nerevar reached his living quarters and silently took off his armor, putting away his sword and staying oblivious to the entrance of his lover, as Dagoth stepped into the room. The taller Chimer closed the door behind him and took notice of Nerevar's still brooding demeanor and agitated movements. He swiftly caught Nerevar's hand as the younger Chimer was pulling back the covers of the bed, and instantly the young King tensed. He glanced up at his counterpart with not so much of an emotion except for slight confusion, remaining silent.

"…Nerevar, I know you are upset right now, but maybe you should reconsider their offer." Dagoth proposed softly, waiting for a reply, but Nerevar pulled his hand away from the other's grip. "I will do no such thing." He replied simply. "The Dwemer are the ones that need to reconsider." It was all he answered, before getting into the bed and settling beneath the covers. Dagoth sighed and changed his clothes before slipping into the bed as well, while gazing at the ceiling and figuring that at the moment it would bring no positive results to continue speaking on the subject. His obsidian eyes turned to glance at his counterpart who lied on his side, facing away from him. The taller Chimer scooted over and leaned closer to place a soft kiss to Nerevar's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his beloved before falling asleep.

Dawn came all too quickly, ending Nerevar's peaceful relaxation in the realm of dreams and bringing him back to the troubles of his Kingdom. The first thing that he noticed was Dagoth's warm body pressed against him, and the other's arm wrapped protectively around him. A soft smile lifted his lips and he gently caressed the golden skin of Dagoth's arm, wondering if he should get out of bed or not. The answer came to him as soon as his mind started listing the objectives for the day. His smile instantly disappeared, along with his previously good mood. He decided that it was time to start completing the items on his mental checklist, and tried to move out of the embrace without waking his counterpart.

Suddenly, his attempts were stopped by the sleepy voice of the one beside him. "Hnn… on the day that I manage to have no meetings… you decide to get up early?" Dagoth said in a half accusing and a half amused tone, while tightening his grip around the other.

"But Voryn… There will be breakfast soon…" Nerevar said in his own defense, still trying to get out of bed. Dagoth gave a small chuckle, "Since when are _you _interested in getting to breakfast in time?"

"Well-…" Before Nerevar had the time to think of anything to reply, Dagoth turned the other onto his back, shifting to move up and lean above his counterpart. "You're not going anywhere, Nerevar." He drawled, leaning down to press his lips to Nerevar's. The young King returned the kiss, moving his arms up to wrap them around his lover. His fingers brushed over the smooth skin of Dagoth's back, to which the other pressed more fully against him, enjoying the soft caress. The taller Chimer slid his own hand softly over Nerevar's side and then down over his thigh. Nerevar parted his lips more at the touch, and Dagoth instantly accepted the invitation, slipping his tongue into the welcoming mouth and deepening the kiss, while spreading the other's thighs and settling in between his legs.

To this, Nerevar gave a small gasp and broke the kiss, gazing up at the one above him. Dagoth gave a sly grin, brushing his fingers across Nerevar's inner thigh and giving a small buck of his hips, which earned him a delicious moan from the young King's lips. "Voryn… We shouldn't…" Nerevar said quietly, while pulling Dagoth lower to trail his mouth over the other's jaw line, lightly grazing his teeth over the skin. "Nhh…-no, breakfast can wait." Dagoth replied, quickly bringing his mouth to Nerevar's neck, and harshly lapping and sucking on the skin. Nerevar couldn't suppress the few moans that escaped him, and moved his fingers to tangle in Dagoth's silky black hair. But as soon as he felt Dagoth's exploring hand slide across the top of his boxers, he gave a shallow gasp, bringing his hands to the other's shoulders and applying some pressure.

"No…We must be going downstairs…" He spoke in a wavering tone, trying to be as convincing as possible, but Dagoth firmly decided to ignore the quiet plea, and instead bit harder on the skin of Nerevar's neck to receive a strained moan. "Voryn! Please…Mnn…Stop...We must meet the others, who knows what they'll do without me!" At that Dagoth gave a possessive growl, before releasing the captive skin and leaning up to look into the other's amethyst eyes with a blazing gaze. "You keep on making me burn with desire, and then you deny me everything I want." He said in a heavy tone, watching the other cup his cheek and give him a small smile. "You will get all that you want…and much more… Only a little later, right now we have to check up on the generals." Nerevar said and pulled the other down for a kiss, reveling in the feel of their mouths moving against one another.

After a long moment, Nerevar pulled back, whispering against Dagoth's ear. "I can't wait…until our play time.." He murmured, licking the other's earlobe. Dagoth let out a small pleased sound at the words and actions. "Let it be now…" He whispered back, only to receive a denying answer. "No, we can't now.." Nerevar replied and pressed his hands to the other's chest, slightly pushing him away in order to get up. Dagoth gave another low growl, getting off of Nerevar and watching his already flushed lover get up from bed. He smirked at the sight, knowing that the disheveled look of his counterpart was his doing.

Soon enough, Nerevar dressed himself in his formal attire, waiting for Dagoth to do the same, and then quickly heading out of their chambers. They made their way down to the dining hall, and Nerevar abruptly stopped as the entire room was empty. The tables were free of any plates and mugs, and the bright rays of the sun shined through the curtains only to illuminate the orderly and seemingly unmoved chairs that stood perfectly around the table. This was odd; his generals were usually here earlier than him. Not only did they wake up in advance, they usually even had time to finish entire meetings while he was still asleep – and obviously they would all wait impatiently for the young King to finally join them for breakfast. But this time they seemed to be even later than him!

"They're not here yet?" Dagoth commented skeptically, reflecting Nerevar's thoughts. The King took another step into the room, and caught the attention of one of the passing servants with a small gesture. "Have my generals already been here?" The servant bowed his head, nodding quietly. "Yes, my Lord. Quite a while ago." Nerevar slightly frowned at the answer. His generals always stayed here and waited for the arrival of their King, it seemed strange that they would just leave the hall without him. "I see, thank you." He replied, turning to leave the room, as the servant bowed and went back to his duties.

"That's peculiar, where do you think they could have gone?" Dagoth asked curiously, following Nerevar. "I have no idea, but I bet that the officers might know." The amethyst eyed Chimer replied, and just as they were turning the corner towards the stairway, they bumped right into one of their officers.

"Ah! Bright dawn Lord Nerevar, Lord Dagoth! Is there anything I can do for you?" The Chimer exclaimed joyfully and smiled at the two.

"Yes, in fact you can." Nerevar replied with a smile, and watched the other slightly bow. "Do you know the whereabouts of my generals?" He asked, interested to know if the officer knew.

"Oh yes! Today they had this huge meeting with everyone, and they're probably in the courtyard right now." The Chimer officer replied matter-of-factly.

Dagoth raised a brow at the bizarre information, and soon his features took on a thoughtful look. "Now _that's_ something you don't hear everyday…" He muttered in a barely audible tone. Nerevar's own eyes slightly widened at the revelation – his generals were having a vast meeting _without_ him? "Thank you. That would be all." He said and dismissed the officer before quickly heading down the stairs in the direction of the courtyard.

It wasn't long before they reached the enormous opened doors that lead to the castle courtyard, and just as Nerevar stepped outside, he instantly stopped in shock at the view before him. The usually empty space had now almost half of its territory filled with ready-to-fight soldier battalions. He stood momentarily frozen in his place, knowing that this was surely the work of his generals. And sure enough, the rest of the Tribunal quickly took notice of Nerevar and Dagoth, and headed in their direction. Nerevar let out a heavy sigh, if he simply left his generals unattended for a few hours – just look what would happen.

Dagoth glanced at the surroundings, also finding it quite shockingly odd, before leaning down to quietly whisper into Nerevar's ear. "You are right, my King. Got to keep an eye on them as if they were little kids." He said, and though it might have sounded in jest, he meant it quite seriously and his expression became solemn as he pulled back when the others approached them.

"You're up so early? You could have gotten some rest." Vivec said with an amused smile. "Well since you're here already, how do you like our rapidly growing army?" He announced, gesturing to the neatly organized troops.

"First of all, what do we need an army for? And why are you doing such things without my discretion?" Nerevar asked as calmly as possible.

"For war of course!" Sotha Sil exclaimed excitedly.

"What are you talking about?! Who came up with the sudden idea of war?" Nerevar questioned in bewilderment, glaring at his generals, who tried to look as innocent and guiltless as possible.

"Don't you remember what you said yesterday? You agreed." Almalexia cut in.

"We mustn't be taken advantage of! The Dwemer must pay for their foul deeds!" Vivec added with determination. With that statement, unpleasant memories of yesterday's events flooded Nerevar's mind, as he remembered the moment of unchecked anger that overcame him. He gave a small sigh and replied pensively. "I didn't mean it as going to actual war… there is no need for that yet." Vivec's grin only increased at the words, and he quickly stepped up to Nerevar's side, slinging an arm around his shoulders and pulling him forward to take a walk across the courtyard. Dagoth watched with slightly narrowed eyes as the two went down the stairs and moved further away, disliking Vivec's overly friendly display.

"As sad as it may be…" Vivec began in a convincingly regretful tone as soon as they were far enough from the rest, "war is inevitable, you understand that – right?" Nerevar was quite lost in his own thoughts to even notice the slightly forceful tone in which Vivec spoke, and taking advantage of the short silence, the King's general and trusted advisor continued his speech. "I know that it must be difficult on you, but you know that it must be done. I've lost count of the times that we had to defend ourselves against ruthless barbarians, and we would have never survived if we just sat back and did nothing. Our majestic race would have ceased to exist many Eras ago if we hadn't fought back. All we need now is to protect our peoples once more – and you my King, can do it better than anyone else."

The general's words echoed in Nerevar's mind, but as convincing as they sounded he stopped their walk and shook his head. "I thank you for your insight, but right now we're going only for negotiations, unnecessary bloodshed is only a calling for returned aggression." The King replied firmly. "And I don't need those countless battalions of soldiers that you've gathered here. Just bring one or two hundred with us – they should see that we aren't afraid to use force either." He said, and watched Vivec pull away from him and step back with a bow. "As you order, my King." The general replied in monotone.

Nerevar knew that there was no point bringing all those troops, he didn't want to provoke any hostile reaction from the Dwemer. All he wanted was to use power as an intimidating factor to force the Dwemer to relinquish their worship, which would be in everyone's best interest. It would only show that they had the ability to defend themselves, so that the Dwemer wouldn't even consider invading the Chimer. Once that will be done, peaceful coexistence could be continued.

"You may get some rest, Nerevar, we'll take care of things here." Vivec added, but Nerevar glanced at the standing troops, unsure if he should leave the task entirely to his generals. Although after turning his gaze back to Vivec, Sotha Sil and Almalexia, he decided that for now he could entrust this duty to them. After all, they were correct when he was not, and he should have listened to their advice, when he did not.

With a nod, Nerevar accepted the offer. "Just don't come up with anymore sudden ideas." He commented, before turning to go back into the castle. The generals nodded and Dagoth, who silently and pensively witnessed all of the fiasco, moved to follow the King indoors. They soon found themselves back in the main hallway of the first floor of the castle, and continued walking straight down the corridor. Nerevar didn't have any destination in mind, letting his feet take him wherever they would, and just as his eyes lifted up to idly glance at the next set of large doors on their right, it turned out to be a training hall. He stopped, and a small smile lifted his features – perhaps he was presented with the opportunity to get his mind off the troubles of the day.

"Would you like to spar with me?" Nerevar suggested, turning to Dagoth. The taller Chimer smirked before replying, "I'd love to, my liege. But I must warn you, I won't go easy on you…" Nerevar gave a light chuckle at the words, "I wasn't expecting you would." He replied and pushed the doors of the training hall open. The main part of the hall was enormous, in the shape of a giant rectangular room, with all of the needed equipment that any type of combatant would need. Upon noticing their arrival, every occupant of the room hailed them and bowed. The two lords smiled and returned the greetings, watching the participants continue their training. Some were practicing their bow and arrow skills, others were trimming the practice dummies down to size with all kinds of melee weapons, while the sorcerers were the ones that exercised various spells, ranging from destruction, to conjuration, illusion, and healing. Nerevar found it amusing how a group of magicians at the North side of the room were attempting to knock each other out with fatigue draining spells. In other words, the main hall was full with excitement. In addition to the central area of training though, there were ten more rooms branching off from all sides, ranging from small to medium to large.

They chose a medium sized room and entered it, closing the door behind them. The walls were as thick, if not thicker, than everywhere else in the castle – and it effectively blocked out all of the deafening noise of bashing swords, various yells and shouts and other miscellaneous sounds. Nerevar stepped forward, glancing at the decorations on the walls. Shields with various symbols hung around, and exquisite swords laid crossed on top of them, forged by traditional and magnificent Chimer craftsmen, enchanted and embedded with precious stones and materials. The young King was soon pulled again into pensive thoughts about the Dwemer, and his jaw tightened at the thought that his friend could lie to him in such a way, plan to invade his kingdom, and destroy any loving ties that the two races might have formed! His hand curled up into a fist, and he was glad that he decided to wear his battle attire in the morning – he needed to spar to get his frustration out.

"You do understand that turning your back on an enemy could be quite dangerous." Dagoth remarked with a smirk, instantly pulling Nerevar out of his thoughts. The young King turned to face his counterpart, only to be met with the edge of a sharp sword. "You do have a point there." He replied with a smile, suddenly hurtling a frost spell at his unsuspecting counterpart, which made Dagoth instantly numb and gave Nerevar more than enough time to unsheathe his own sword and press on the offensive, pushing away Dagoth's blade. The taller Chimer gasped at the coldness of the swift spell and tried his best to fend off the vicious array of attacks, jumping back and doing his best to keep his distance and avoiding the slashing metal, as he waited for the cold numbness to ease off his body. His sloppy blocking soon improved as the effects of the spell wore off, and he eagerly returned the attacks, throwing a few of his own bolts of fire and watching as Nerevar dodged and staggered backwards, switching to defensive maneuvers.

The young King ducked at the next onslaught of slashes that came above his head, instantly crouching down and skillfully kicking the footing from beneath Dagoth. The taller Chimer gave a surprised sound as he fell, finding himself on the ground in an instant. Hardly a second passed before Nerevar's shimmering blade came hurtling down, and Dagoth managed to roll away in time to hear a loud metallic cling of metal against the stone floor. Without allowing a moment's rest, he quickly slashed at the evading figure, and another metallic clash echoed in the room as two blades met. Dagoth smirked and lifted his other hand to throw a sudden ball of flame right at the King. Nerevar's eyes widened at the unexpected attack, and luckily he managed to dash to the side just in time, hissing as some of the scorching heat grazed over his arm, while the ball of flame barely missed him and exploded against the wall. Dagoth's smirk stayed on his lips and after getting the space that he needed, he quickly got up and held his sword in a defensive position. In a blink of an eye, the young King launched forward, forcing Dagoth to parry the quick attacks, when the older Chimer suddenly felt the other's blade slash across his side.

The taller Chimer gave a small sound at the blow, fortunately he wore his armor, and the blade did nothing more than scratch the metal. His smirk though slightly faltered at the show of speed and agility from his counterpart. Nerevar grinned and took the opportunity to push onward, making Dagoth stagger back until his back hit the wall. Nerevar smiled triumphantly and moved to bring his sword up to place its length against the other's neck, but before he could do that, his eyes widened as he was suddenly stunned with an electrical shock. Dagoth's hand was pressed against his chest, and transferred an electrical current that buzzed through his body, disabling any movements. He winced at the pain, and Dagoth quickly knocked Nerevar's sword away from his hand and threw the other to the floor.

Nerevar groaned as he landed harshly on the floor, disarmed and still unable to move much, and it took him a few moments to regain his senses, but before he could get up, the tip of Dagoth's blade was positioned at his throat. "Hn… got to be more careful, Nerevar…" The obsidian eyed Chimer drawled, while Nerevar tried to reach for his sword, which lay a few inches away from him on the floor, but he was soon stopped as the sharp tip pressed more firmly against his skin. "Don't even think about that." Dagoth voiced, and slid the tip of the sword lower along the other's throat. "V-Voryn…?" Nerevar voiced as quietly and calmly as possible, while watching the other lean lower above him. "Yes, my King?" Dagoth asked amusingly. "…Stop that." The amethyst-eyed Chimer said, and soon felt the other's blade leave him. "Giving up already?" The taller one voiced with a smirk, although before Nerevar could reply, he was taken by surprise as his armor was swiftly and skillfully dispatched. "Voryn! What are you doing?" The young King exclaimed and tried to get up to recover his protective attire, only to be stopped by Dagoth's blade once more, which forced him to remain laying on the floor.

"Do you know how delicately vulnerable you look right now?" Dagoth drawled and watched Nerevar blush, before pressing the sword tighter against that tantalizing golden skin, and hearing a small gasp from his captive as he slid his weapon lower, letting the sharp blade cut the soft material at the top of the other's shirt. Nerevar could only watch with wide eyes at the other's actions, emitting a few sounds as the edge of the sword pressed against his skin firmly, but not enough to draw blood. Soon he felt the other's weapon leave his sight and Dagoth's mouth descended upon his in a demanding manner. Nerevar couldn't suppress a small moan and leaned into the kiss, tilting his head up and parting his lips. Dagoth eagerly accepted the unspoken invitation, and without a second thought began ravaging and plundering his King's sweet mouth.

After a few long moments, Dagoth pulled back to softly lick the pink crests of his lover, before moving back slightly more and letting his gaze roam over the other's still clothed body. Nerevar tried to use the momentary pause to level out his breathing, willing himself to stay as calm as possible. "Voryn…we should get back to training." He voiced, and Dagoth's dark gaze instantly met his as the taller Chimer narrowed his eyes at the stubbornness of the King. "Perhaps you have forgotten, my King, but I have defeated you in battle, and now…" A grin grew on Dagoth's lips, "I get to reap the rewards." Nerevar's blush slightly increased at the words. "But this is really not the place…to gain such trophies."

"Hn, not the place? I believe that the conqueror gets to choose." Dagoth murmured and leaned down over Nerevar, only to be pushed back by the other's hand as the amethyst-eyed Chimer sat up. His counterpart gave a small growl at the disobedience, and his hand shot to the side to quickly cast a locking spell on the only door that served as an entrance and exit to this hall.

"Does that feel more… private?" The taller Chimer asked slyly as his gaze turned back onto his prey with a smirk. Though in the brief moment of distraction, the young King already managed to retrieve his dropped sword, and hold it horizontally in front of him in a defensive position. Dagoth blinked as the sharp object became an obstacle between him and his beloved, and with a feral grin he leaned forward, towards the edge of the blade – watching in satisfaction Nerevar's widened eyes as the younger Chimer slightly leaned back.

"Mn, it's not nice of you to deny me once more. After all, you did promise me some time to play today…" He drawled, not needing his own weapon to disarm the other, and instead grasping Nerevar's right wrist. The young King tried to pull his hand away from the hold, but to no avail. Soon he felt Dagoth's fingers tighten around his wrist and forcefully pull his hand to the side. After having the metallic obstacle moved from his path, the taller Chimer descended onto Nerevar's lips, kissing him heatedly and roughly, while pressing harder onto the captured wrist in order to weaken his hold on the sword.

Nerevar's slightly pained whimper melted into a quiet moan at the feel of the other's mouth dominating him. The tight pressure on his wrist and the harsh kiss were making it harder to maintain a strong grip on his weapon; and when Dagoth's teeth clamped down on Nerevar's lower lip, the King let out a sharp yelp and his sword fell from his fingers, emitting a loud metallic clang as it hit the floor. Dagoth eased his hold on the other's wrist and attempted lowering Nerevar to the ground, which resulted in the young King biting the other's invading tongue. The taller Chimer let out a small pained sound, followed by a possessive growl.

"But Voryn… this isn't exactly the time to play…" Nerevar voiced as firmly as he could, while breathing softly against the other's lips. "No Nerevar. You've teased me enough." Dagoth replied with determination, roughly pushing his counterpart onto his back, before turning him over and lowering himself on top of the other. "Because I know that you _want_ it Nerevar…" Dagoth whispered against the other's ear, lightly nibbling on his earlobe, while letting his hands roam over Nerevar's sides.

The young King bit down on his own lower lip to stop himself from emitting any sounds at the husky words and determined touches. Suddenly he felt the other's hands pull his hips up, so that he was standing on his knees, while his face pressed against the cold floor. The blush that never left his cheeks only became hotter as he felt Dagoth's hardness press against him, and he couldn't suppress a small moan as the other's mouth began sucking on the side of his neck. Dagoth smirked at the reaction, sucking harder to leave a red mark on the King's fair skin.

"Tell me what you want…" The taller Chimer prompted, sensing Nerevar's increasingly heavy breaths. It took Nerevar a moment to regain enough composure to reply. "I want you… Voryn." He whispered back, and Dagoth stopped his ministrations to bask in the pleasant sound of his name being uttered so sacredly from the other's lips. He then leaned down once more to place soft and loving kisses onto the nape of the other's neck, while his hands explored the skin beneath the King's shirt.

"Nerevar… you have no idea how much I love you…" He voiced sincerely, trying to express the overwhelming feelings that he felt for the young King. "I do know…because I feel the same Voryn…" Nerevar replied softly and just as truthfully, loving every single part of the Chimer above him. The momentary pause abruptly ended when Nerevar felt Dagoth's clothed erection rub against him, and he closed his eyes, trying to suppress another moan at the action.

Dagoth's smirk returned to his lips, and he slid his hands back along the other's skin, reaching the top of Nerevar's pants and taking them off along with his underwear. His hands continued to smooth down the other's hips, before moving lower to brush his fingers across the other's entrance, eliciting a strained moan from Nerevar. Without a further warning, he pushed two fingers into him, listening to the erotic sounds of the other's louder moans and gasps. He continued the movements with his digits, making Nerevar slightly buck his hips.

The young King's breath was coming in short gasps, and his eyes were tightly shut against the pleasurable sensations, but after a few moments he felt the fingers retreat and Dagoth's hot breath flowed over his ear. "You are mine…" He whispered heavily and possessively, sliding down his own lower garments to reveal his hard erection. Without a moment's hesitation, Dagoth rammed harshly into Nerevar, eliciting a near scream from the delicate lips of his lover. The younger Chimer's mind was completely fogged as he tried to get accustomed to the euphoric feel of the other's hardness pushing into him.

Dagoth hissed at the blissful tightness that surrounded him, and tried his best to stay still, but soon he failed at his attempts and grabbed a hold of the other's hips, pulling out of Nerevar and thrusting back in with a low moan. Nerevar's sounds heightened in volume at each thrust and the ecstatic movements made him gasp and moan, arching his back and parting his lips to take in sharp breaths. Dagoth continued pounding roughly into the one below him, and kept up the fast pace, basking in the intimate closeness and enjoying each sound that his lover emitted. Soon the pleasure began to mount and with a few final thrusts, Dagoth threw his head back, his fingers bruising the flesh of Nerevar's hips as he moaned out his release, spilling his seed deeply into the other. Nerevar's own scream rang from his throat as he arched his back and came harshly, feeling the other's essence fill him up.

Their breaths were heavy and ragged, and Nerevar felt the other lean over him in exhaustion, before starting to softly kiss his neck. Nerevar could feel the other pull out of him and turn him over to kiss his lips lovingly. The young King returned the kiss and reached up to slide his fingers through Dagoth's long, silky strands of hair, feeling utterly satisfied and content. Dagoth smiled at the one below him and leaned down to close his eyes and regulate his own breathing.

They lay in a soft embrace for long calming moments, before they were interrupted with a few loud knocks on the door, followed by Vivec's voice.

"Nerevar? Voryn? Are you in there? I've been told that I could find you two here! – who the heck locked the door, dammit!"

Dagoth picked his head up to glance in irritation at the door. "We're training!" He called out in such a tone that it was obvious the conversation was over. But Vivec was not one to be easily intimidated, and continued the knocking. For once Dagoth was glad that his skills at locking doors were better than that of the insisting Chimer behind the door. So no matter how hard Vivec would have tired to open it, he wouldn't be able to unlock it. But Vivec, seeing that he couldn't get much more of a response, and annoyed by the fact that he was spoken to through the door, huffed audibly and gathered up his patience to wait calmly.

In the meanwhile, Nerevar sat up and reached for his discarded attire, pulling it on once more and waiting for Dagoth to do the same. In a few moments they were completely clothed and ready to go. The young King sheathed his weapon, as Dagoth moved closer to the door, before catching the taller Chimer's wrist and pulling him back. Nerevar gazed up into Dagoth's obsidian-colored eyes and leaned up for a sweet kiss, savoring the taste of the other's lips and cupping the taller Chimer's face. As the lip-lock ended, Dagoth smiled in adoration and brushed a few locks of violet hair from Nerevar's face. "You are magnificent, my King…" He murmured and stole another kiss before unlocking the door.

"Ah! And so the door wasn't _all_ hopelessly jammed after all! I was wondering how you two were going to get out!" Vivec exclaimed in mock revelation as he glared at Dagoth.

"Well to a certain degree it really _was_ improbable to open…" Dagoth said with a smirk and a hint at the other's inability to disarm such magic.

"Don't you know that it is bad manners to keep a fellow general locked out and waiting for so long?" Vivec continued, with a growing frown.

"If it was up to me, I would have kept you locked out of every room in the castle! It'll be much better that way."

"Oh yeah? Well next time you decide to use your petty magic, I'll blow the damned door off!"

Dagoth's smirk only increased as he prepared a quick retort back at Vivec, but Nerevar simply couldn't continue listening to such a pointless argument, and without letting a chance for the dark haired Chimer to speak out, the young King quickly cut in. "I'm sorry about that Vivec, we really didn't mean to keep you waiting." He said with an apologetic smile, trying to hide his amusement at the other general's flustered look.

Vivec turned his gaze from Dagoth to Nerevar, and his irritated expression turned into a much calmer and dignified one as he slightly tilted his head up. "Yes, this argument is truly foolish. It isn't _my_ fault that your fellow general here, likes to discuss useless topics. But let us not dwell on it any longer. My King, I have come to inform you that your troops are standing at the ready. There are currently two battalions – as you have ordered."

Nerevar gave a quick nod and stayed silent for a moment. "Thank you, Vivec. Let us go see them." Dagoth noticed the darker mood that instantly fell upon his companion, before allowing Vivec to lead them to the courtyard. Soon enough, the sight of organized arrays of Chimer soldiers standing in neat rows caught Nerevar's attention and he looked over his troops. As reported – there were two battalions, each holding a hundred soldiers, which were positioned in rectangular formations in the field.

Nerevar stepped down the stairs at the front of the opened castle doors and took a walk across the courtyard, inspecting the orderly soldiers. He wasn't expecting anything to be wrong with them, but he wanted to see in what kind of a state they were. Every single soldier stood perfectly straight and proud in an immobile stance. All of the rows of the two battalions were flawlessly positioned. Everything seemed in place, and he was about to give an approving signal, before noticing Lieutenant Porat's slightly nervous gulp. The King stopped and let his gaze sweep over front line, paying a closer attention to each individual. From a closer proximity he was surprised to find anxious expressions that usually accompanied newly trained troops before the onset of battle.

He frowned and instantly remembered Vivec's earlier words, and figured that he might have misinformed those troops of their intentions.

"Soldiers!" Nerevar called out, intent on clearing this up once and for all.

"Yes, Majesty!" Came the synchronous answer from the entire battalion that Nerevar was addressing, and with a quick glance to his side he showed that his announcement concerned the second battalion as well.

"Despite what you might have been led to believe – we are not engaging in a battle. Your only duty is to accompany me to negotiations with the Dwemer." Nerevar stated and watched in satisfaction as the faces of his Chimer soldiers visibly relaxed and lost their strained qualities.

"So if we're all ready, then…" He turned to his generals, who took the cue to step down to the courtyard. "Yes, Ready." Vivec confirmed, and after receiving verifying nods from the rest, the young King turned to his lieutenant. "Let us go then." He prompted and soon the two battalions, led by the Tribunal, exited the castle gates and marched in unison, in the direction of Red Mountain.

Even before the small Chimer army stepped onto the red soil of the Dwemer territory, it seemed that their allies have already noticed their unscheduled visit. Obviously if any scout or peasant would notice such an organized army marching up towards their homes, they would get suspicious in the very least, without bothering to check any details.

The Tribunal was greeted by the Dwemer King himself, who was instantly called upon to arrive at the open gates of Red Mountain. Ever since the common defeat of the Nords, the enormous metallic doors that Nerevar had seen closed on almost all occasions, were standing open and welcoming to the Chimer.

King Dumac took a step down in the direction of his visitors, his eyes wide in surprise and confusion at the sight of the two battalions that marched up behind the Tribunal. From the looks that the Dwemer in the settlement were giving them, it felt rather hostile for the first time since their previous animosity. The surrounding Dwemer citizens switched friendly greetings into frightened and bewildered looks, so unlike the welcoming smiles that Nerevar became so pleasantly used to. Of course it wasn't difficult to understand their uneasiness, but it surely seemed that if any other Dwemer was in the place of their King, they would have already gathered their own army in the very least for defensive and preventive purposes.

Their King though, was clearly much more trusting of the Chimer, and he didn't have any of those ideas even close to mind – he was just extremely shocked at the appearance of the troops. His logic was telling him that perhaps there was another common foe, against who the young Chimer King needed his help with. Obviously in those kinds of situations, there were always long discussions that informed both allies and worked on a strategy, but Dumac couldn't even allow the thought that this army was meant to march against him. So he figured that it must have been an alarming emergency.

"Hail friends! What has brought you to us in this urgent manner?" King Dumac inquired. Soon the Chimer King made a small gesture and his troops stopped several feet behind him, standing in ever organized formations. Nerevar stepped up and came in front of King Dumac, giving him a small bow. Even though Dumac gazed intently at the other King, eager to hear his reasoning, Nerevar stayed silent for a moment. It surprised him that his ally seemed oblivious to his intentions, and it pained him when he realized that if he would place his accusations, it would most likely severe all traces of trust and honor between them.

But the young King's brows slightly frowned as he reminded himself that the Dwemer King himself has already ruined those two traits between them. The Dwemer lied to him, the King didn't keep his word, and this 'friend' of his has betrayed him! All those forced thoughts created a heavy boulder that fell to the bottom of his gut, crushing all hope for the better and filling his insides with pain, self-torture, guilt, anger and remorse.

"Sire, we know all about your plans and actions. And we do not approve of your worship of the Heart of Lorkhan." Dumac Dwarf-Orc's eyes continued to widen with a mixture of confusion and slight agitation as he watched the changing expressions on Nerevar's face, and he was greatly taken aback by the threatening tone and words of the other. Though all he did; was continue staring at the Chimer before him, unable to understand what his words meant.

"I… am not sure if I quite follow what you are saying." He finally muttered out in further perplexity.

Nerevar's gaze became even sterner, and it seemed like he could stare a hole through a rock. "You Highness – let us not play anymore games. They are quite pointless. We both know why I came here, and if you cooperate, we won't take it any further than this."

"I beg your pardon, Majesty?" Dumac Dwarf-Orc voiced slowly, gazing in complete shock at the rude formality of the other's speech. "I'd appreciate it if you would at least articulate your thoughts a bit clearer; I simply don't understand that you're getting at." His replies held a hint of defensiveness, since the Chimer's request of so-called 'cooperation' hurt the King's pride. It was a very lowly way of speaking to a King, not to mention that the other didn't want to explain the situation fully.

"You must give up your worship of the Heart of Lorkhan or I shall forget our friendship and the deeds that were accomplished in its name!" Nerevar voiced defiantly, throwing all caution to the air and being angry at the fact that the Dwemer King was trying to hide their actions once again. He hoped that his forces would intimidate the Dwemer into submission.

King Dumac's shock couldn't be any greater than the one that he experienced after he heard the straightforward threat from his fellow King. The Dwemer King was proud and protective of his people, and what Nerevar just said had crossed the line. He couldn't tolerate such accusations against his race, even if he knew nothing of the facts behind it all. He stood straight and firm in the Chimer path. "Are you _suggesting_ that –"

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**Note:** So how do you like it so far? Thank you all so much for being patient with me and continuing to read! **PLEASE** review! It makes my day so much brighter! (And my typing so much faster :) ) Merry Christmas!


	12. Chap 12

**Note:** Hello my fellow readers!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

I wish you all the very best in 2009!

Here's my gift to you – a new chapter!

Allow me to thank all of those who have read and reviewed my story continuously! It gives me immense joy! Special thanks to Harry's Dark Angel, 99luftbalons, Black the Juggalette, and Master Aneliath!

Happy Holidays,

Enjoy

And

Review!

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Chapter 12 - No Turning Back

"I'm not suggesting – I know it to be true!"

"Well then if you are so certain about it! I swear that we shall _not_ relinquish that which has been our way for years beyond reckoning, just as the Chimer will not relinquish their ties to the Lords and Ladies of Oblivion! And to come at my door in this way, arrayed in arms and armor and with your hosts around you, tells me you have _already_ forgotten our friendship. Stand down my sweet Nerevar, or I swear by the fifteen-and-one golden tones that I shall _kill_ you and all your people."

The Chimer King was outraged beyond words at the reply of his once devoted friend, and a searing pain engulfed him at the thought of such a cruel breaking of their bonds of friendship. For a moment, he honestly didn't know what he should do; knowing that the Dwemer had brought this upon themselves, but also knowing that he would endanger Resdayn itself if he shall stand down. He came here for a purpose, and he assured himself that this conflict would have happened sooner or later – and it was preferable for it to commence when the _Chimer_ were ready. This was the only way that he could cut a war short, or at least shorter than it would have been otherwise, if the Dwemer continued their worship and preparations.

"Then let it be so, my fair King Dumac Dwarf-Orc. You will regret the day that you laid eyes upon the Heart of Lorkhan." Nerevar voiced grimly and without waiting for anything else, he bowed lowly before Dumac and turned on his heels, returning to his place at the Tribunal and starting to lead his troops away from Red Mountain. He was half expecting to hear something from the opposing party, perhaps a call to him, a shout, anything that would stop him from continuing with this madness. But only the sound of the whistling wind accompanied the hollow silence that came from the Dwemer.

To Nerevar it felt like an eternity to reach their castle gates, and once they did, he instantly ordered the troops to return into the castle and rest. The members of the Tribunal were starting to talk about dinner by now.

"Nerevar, why don't we have a feast? We haven't had one in a while and I'm sure that the rest will appreciate it." Vivec offered, glancing at the King. But as soon as Nerevar heard the proposition he instantly turned around to give his general quite a furious glare.

"A _feast_? This is no occasion for a feast! We all need some peace and quiet to think about the situation!" Vivec opened his mouth to say something else, but Nerevar cut him off. "And no- we won't have any meetings today." The young King concluded firmly. Not to mention that feasts were made exclusively on joyous occasions, and the circumstances now were far from jubilant. The sun was already setting and he was in no mood to talk about such difficult things… he needed some time alone.

"We will have plenty of time to plan, do not rush things." Dagoth added calmly to the conversation. Sotha Sil began mumbling something about starvation, while Vivec looked a bit upset and Almalexia gave a small sigh.

Despite the unhappy look that the Tribunal wore, none of their expressions looked more set in despair then Nerevar's, and the reason for his discontent was far from the pangs of hunger. Once the generals finally accepted that no banquet will be held tonight, they began discussing the preparations for the dinner and strolled into the castle. They walked leisurely down the hallway in the direction of the dinning hall, and as soon as they reached the first corner, Nerevar abruptly stopped.

"I'll see you all at dinner." The young King said and bid farewell to the two lieutenants that accompanied them, before proceeding to his own destination. He barely noticed Dagoth's presence as the taller Chimer silently followed his King, staying quietly by his side.

"Good evening my Lords." Those were the friendly greetings called out to them as they went up the decorated stairway, but all Nerevar did was nod absentmindedly in return. The stairs seemed to spiral into infinity, just like his own jumbled thoughts circled within his mind, making him almost dizzy. The perfectly identical slabs of marble gave way to a flat plane as soon as they reached the second floor. Here, Nerevar continued on a determined path towards the far end of the hallway, and Dagoth didn't even need to ask where they were going in order to know it.

The large golden outlined double doors at the East side of the second floor led to an enormous reception hall. This place was often used for special social gatherings, but without reservations it was empty. Dagoth knew this room well, since the young King often came there when he needed to get away from the hectic events in the castle. As soon as they entered, the double doors closed behind them with a heavy sound. The area was most certainly enchanting. There was a large space to move around on the carpeted floor, which held intricate designs that matched with the furniture. Chairs, couches and lounges with puffy pillows were positioned comfortably around the room to accommodate socialization. No doubt that the décor made this room look completely welcoming.

But Nerevar didn't stop there; he continued walking across the room until he reached a smaller set of double doors, which were almost hidden behind red-colored curtains. The young King took a hold of the handle and opened the painted glass door and stepped onto the balcony. It was comfortable and spacey, with a built in elegant roof to protect it from rain. He stepped closer to the railing, pensively placing a hand on it and gazing out at the slowly darkening landscape. The sky was a pastel blue color, as if pale clouds were smeared over its vast expanse like fluffy butter.

"Nerevar, what is on your mind?" Dagoth asked, unable to restrain himself from breaking the silence.

"It was so foolish of me to trust in that alliance." Nerevar replied, not even turning to glance at his counterpart, and letting out a soft sigh.

For a moment, Nerevar heard nothing from his general, before feeling the other's warm body press comfortingly against his back, while strong arms wrapped around his waist.

"My King, do not burden yourself with such futile worry. You did the right thing, I assure you. You gave us a prosperous period of peace, until we saw the true face of our enemy."

"After all we've been through; it's hard to call the Dwemer our enemies. I can't help but think of this as just one grotesque misunderstanding. We can't go slaughtering our neighbors! Our comrades; the ones along side whom we worked so hard all those years. We protected them, and they us! But a war is hopelessly inevitable..."

"I know Nerevar, I know… But it is only for self-defense, the Dwemer are the ones who plan to annihilate _us._ Sooner or later everyone starts to hunger for power and land." The taller Chimer voiced solemnly. "Don't blame yourself." He finished, before leaning down to gently nuzzle the other's lush, dark hair. Nerevar slightly leaned back against his lover, reluctant to admit that the tender attention was slowly easing the worry on his mind.

A moment later, Nerevar couldn't hold back a small sound of pleasure as the taller Chimer's mouth slid down to place affectionate kisses onto the King's beautifully golden neck. "Voryn.." He whispered softly, turning in the other's arms to gaze into Dagoth's eyes. "You're always by my side at difficult times like these."

"Where else would I be? The other generals are just too incoherent when trouble strikes; they'd rather get drunk and search for food than do anything else." He said jokingly with a teasing laugh, but then he became more serious. "But truly, my King. There is nothing more important to me than you. Not anyone else, not our people, not this Kingdom, nothing can compare to you." The striking sincerity in his counterpart's voice very nearly alarmed the King, and he stared back for several long moments into those obsidian depths, trying to bring back an air of lightness with a dismissive chuckle.

"Well you should be more worried about other things too, you know. You're my general after all." Nerevar said with a playful smile, reaching up to brush his fingers lovingly down the taller Chimer's cheek.

"I do not forget my responsibilities. But I hold _you_ above them all. Always." Dagoth replied with the same earnest tone, keeping their gazes locked for what seemed like an eternity, before finding his voice to speak once more. "Would you like to head down to dinner? I'm sure it's ready by now."

"No, I'm not hungry at all, and I don't feel like speaking to the others, not to mention that I'm tired. I think I'll just head to bed." Nerevar responded, giving a soft sigh before moving away from the railing and stepping towards the decorated balcony door, all the while entwining his fingers with the other and pulling his general alongside him. Dagoth snickered quietly at the silent request of the King to follow him, before grinning maliciously. "Allow me to join you then, Nerevar…" A returned chuckle and nod from the amethyst-eyed Chimer was all the response that he received.

For the several days that followed, it seemed that the Tribunal could hardly get a hold of Nerevar to try and speak with him. During every single one of their attempts, the young King was either too busy with some unknown matter or task, closing off all opportunities for anyone to have a hearing with him, or in other cases he was simply nowhere to be found. The three members of the Tribunal – and sometimes including even Dagoth – would run a whole day of meetings with not once being graced by the presence of their Majesty, and that posed serious barriers in their plan-making about the war to come. Every anxiety-filled day amassed a higher degree of agitation within the upper ranks of the military council, as they realized that the King had not yet shown the initiative to work on their future preparations and arrangements, which would be crucial for their success. They were slowly but steadily running out of time, with the Dwemer posing a continuously looming threat that could strike down like lightning on their heads at any given moment.

After more than a week of such mysterious behavior from Nerevar, the Tribunal held another routinely gathering on the eventless day of the 16th Last Seed. Sitting around the circular table of discussion, the four generals stared dumbly at one another, a few of them letting out sighs of frustration. It seemed like while debating every single military topic that came to mind, they haven't yet taken a decisive decision about anything significant, and right about now they were feeling too fatigued to even come up with anything interesting to have a conversation about. Even Sotha Sil apparently ran out of criticism to spark up his favorite arguments and disputes of the day, and he had now gotten into the habit of ordering Comberry vintage to every single conference, despite the fact that such a lowly commoner's drink was repulsive to him. Instead he stuck to the repetitive explanation that it was a reminder of their bitter stupor from which he saw no way out, resolving to pass the time with 'at least _some _excitement' due to this wit dwindling concoction. Dagoth hadn't failed to inform him that he wasn't about to look for ingredients to make him a sobering potion, but that obviously didn't faze the inebriated general.

Just as Vivec decided to get up and dismiss the conference, the door to the meeting hall flew open, and Nerevar strode determinedly into the room. "Good afternoon, my friends." He said with a smile, paying no heed to the surprised stares from his generals, before moving towards one of the elegantly decorated shelves nearby. "I see you've made an effort in holding military summits. Good." The King continued, while Vivec sat silently back down onto the chair.

With a swift movement, Nerevar grabbed a sealed scroll from the shelf and walked over to the round table, his golden boots tapping on the ebony-tiled floor as he basked in the silence from the Tribunal. Upon reaching the table, he placed the scroll in the middle of it, unrolling the finely etched material to reveal the map of Resdayn. He then pointed to the spot that read with marvelous red and black ink – 'Red Mountain', before lifting his gaze to look at his generals. "What information do we have regarding this?"

"Apparently our scouts had no success in accumulating anymore information within the Dwemer territory; our adversaries have put every single effort into driving our people out of their lands." Vivec informed.

"Well that is to be expected." Nerevar replied calmly. "What is the progress of the evacuation?"

"It is well on its way. We have long since pulled our miners and workers out of Dwemer mines and camps, and now we're working on finding them a place to stay and getting them back on duty to increase production for the war effort." Almalexia answered, receiving a nod from the King.

"Well done, so we need to—" Nerevar's sentence was abruptly cut short by a startling, sharp noise – something akin to a loud thunderclap. The generals jumped up from their seats, looking around with bewilderment. On such a fine day, there was practically no chance of a storm, but the sound came from outside.

"What… was that?" Sotha Sil voiced, before slowly turning to glance at the windows, noticing that everyone else's widened eyes were already glued to the scenery beyond. The marvelous sky that was a gentle cyan color with not a single cloud on the horizon only moments earlier, was now becoming increasingly darker. It wasn't clouds that littered the previously untouched plains of heaven, but it was a thinner, fog-like substance that crawled onto the sky in slow streaks, leaving no opening for the sun to shine through. It was definitely unnatural - no doubt a conjuration of Magika.

"The Heart of Lorkhan… The Dwemer must be using it for some purpose." Dagoth said anxiously, his tone reflecting the uneasiness that everyone in the room felt.

"It's so powerful…" Almalexia said in a barely audible tone, gaping at the sky in wonder, as strong gusts of wind shook trees below them and blew through the window, rattling the curtains. The darkness was punctuated with sudden blots of lightning that came silently down three times in the distant mountains of the Dwemer stronghold, and soon after that, the unsettling mist quickly dispersed, leaving the sky as bright and cloudless as before – as if nothing had ever happened.

Still in mild shock from the unknown effects of Magika that they had just witnessed, Nerevar moved away from the window, moving to plop down onto his chair and remaining quiet for the moment.

"So why didn't they attack us yet? They could have easily taken down a few of the villages closest to Red Mountain in the past several days without our forces being stationed there." Sotha Sil finally voiced, walking over to the table and taking another sip from his goblet.

"That's because their army isn't ready yet. There would be no point in attacking us and then potentially losing their unorganized, defenseless forces group by group." Dagoth said.

"Well ours isn't ready either." Vivec commented with a look of slight worry etched on his features.

"And they know it." Nerevar finished with a short laugh, which was more of a reaction to the striking irony that they found themselves in, instead of a sound of amusement. As funny as the situation sounded, it was far from being comical. Friends of old or not, they were preparing for an immense, all-out war, and among the imminent bloodshed, Nerevar didn't want his own citizens to suffer one bit more than was inevitable. Not to mention, that the Chimer had no idea what kind of powers the Heart of Lorkhan held. "I believe our past information about the Dwemer will have to suffice as the base of our tactics, and I'm afraid that the same knowledge about us will most likely be used to the advantage of our enemies. The element of surprise may be in short supply this time."

"Yes, and that is a crippling challenge." Dagoth agreed, and the entire Tribunal settled into what seemed like a gloomy pensiveness. In the years of friendship, the two races kept hardly anything away from each other, and this situation was the true test of who could outwit whom in battle tactics and strategies.

"We must be the first to advance on the Dwemer – we can't let them into our territory. If we can keep them trapped in Red Mountain, it will keep our villages and cities in safety, so that will allow us to concentrate all of our forces into one place, which is a powerful way to gain more control over the situation. That way we can also receive continuous supplies from here, without jeopardizing our own castle." Nerevar said, deciding that offense would be the best defense in this situation.

"But the Dwemer will have significant advantages within their own walls, which – as you know – are quite difficult to penetrate." Vivec reasoned.

"We will have to break through those gates sooner or later. So let it be sooner rather than later. We can't afford to give them a chance to amass an attack on us, it cannot lead to our victory. And we need to win this as decisively and quickly as possible." The King replied.

"Those rowdy inventors are formidable foes, especially with their constructs." Almalexia commented.

"Oh!- And the constructs! Allow me, please, your Majesty." Sotha Sil exclaimed, rushing to unlock a particular drawer in the corner of the room. "Those fascinating mechanic inventions have been the focus of _my_ intense study! –Hehe." Snickering quietly to himself, he pulled out several scrolls from the drawer and dashed back to the table, before unrolling them. "As you can see, I have masterfully analyzed the technology of those sneaky scoundrels!" He said with a self-dignified expression, spreading the papers over the table, each piece holding detailed drawings of the various Dwemer constructs, with lines and arrows that illustrated energy exchange and mechanic parts. "Complicated, and somewhat primitive, but still wonderful ideas. Though I never seemed to figure out all the parts for those machines… hmm, those idiots managed to activate them so they are able to make decisions on their own… grr, what could that be…" Sotha Sil trailed off, continuing to grumble under his breath in what seemed like frustration as he brought up and refuted theories in self-engaging mumbling.

"Wonderful, Sotha Sil, you'll be in charge of training our young recruits in defeating those constructs." The King said, quite impressed by the degree of interest that his general always had for mechanic works.

"Yes of course, who else would you choose for this all-important duty, only _me_!" Sotha Sil said with a smug grin.

The Tribunal continued their battle preparations and tactics well throughout the day, inviting more officers and lieutenants to join them in their discussions, and distributing orders left and right. They hardly exited the meeting hall during the entire day, having servants bring them lunch, dinner and snacks in between. With the coming of sunset, everyone left the hall in exhaustion, but they wouldn't have a moment's rest in the upcoming days until everything was definitively prepared for the grandest battle of their Era.

Finally all the groundwork was set in place. A full two weeks have passed since the day of the severing of their alliance, and with an astonishingly swift pace, the Chimer managed to train up all new soldiers, and pick up numerous recruits from around the Kingdom – which took quite a bit of negotiations – before gathering the peak amount of troops for their massive army. That night, when all preparations were finalized, the Chimer armed forces were rallied outside into the surrounding courtyard that extended around the enormous territory of the King's castle. Endless battalions seemed to stretch to infinity in every direction that one might look. There was no time to spare, so if they amassed an attack tonight, they might stand a chance of catching the unsuspecting Dwemer by surprise.

Nerevar stood vigilantly in front of the castle gates, right before his numerous battalions, while gazing calmly at the perfectly straight rows of Chimer soldiers that were as superbly trained as ever. He and his generals have made a daring decision to start marching against their enemies in this early hour, and since such a seemingly haphazard move was something that the Chimer rarely ever did throughout their entire history – and such moments would be hard to find even for the most diligent scholar searching within ancient lore books – then it would most likely give them a head start and throw the Dwemer into confusion. But it was all part of the immense plan that the Tribunal have managed to come up with on such a tight schedule; having been working on every single detail of their elaborate strategy day and night for the past week.

The King's golden cuirass shone beneath the bright moonlight, making the embedded precious stones in his armor sparkle like inhabited soul gems. Amethyst eyes turned to glance at the Tribunal, each one dressed in the best of their armor, and standing just as silently as him. He shifted his gaze to the banner runners, one in each battalion, who held the Azura blessed symbol of the Moon and Star high above them – a testimony to their race's extraordinary success for many Eras as it was, under the watchful eye of the Daedra gods.

Emerging from his contemplations, the young King spared a glance at his generals, before taking a step forward. "Attention, soldiers!" Vivec called out, which brought everyone's gazes towards Nerevar, who was now striding boldly down the unobstructed path along their troops, while being closely followed by the Tribunal. Upon reaching the outer gates of his marvelous castle city, he stopped and turned on his heels to face the soldiers.

After a definitive moment of silence, he began to speak. "I know that the Chimer who stand before me have all come from different regions of our mighty Kingdom. The diversity of our people is vast, but we have all gathered here tonight for a common purpose. For a reason that is far more important than any petty differences or disagreements between us. That reason is based on the basic principles that bind us as a nation, as a race. We all have families and friends that we care about, we have our land, and one Kingdom that has been our home for countless Eras. But now, all that we have is in jeopardy. Our way of life is on the verge of being annihilated by an enemy that had wanted to destroy us centuries ago, and now it has found the opportunity to do so. That is why we must take up arms and armor, and stand steadfast in the protection of our Kingdom, of everything that we hold dear. Such a great nation as ours cannot fall before any enemy, and we are here to prove it. Remember this, my friends – this is the day that will no doubt be marked forever in the books of our lore. This is the day on which we will banish our greatest archenemy from our lands and secure our peace! The Chimer will not be brought down! May Azura watch over us all!"

The end of his speech was accompanied by a deafening roar of battle-ready troops from the entire army, and Nerevar gave a solemn nod to the Lieutenants, who began positioning their troops in order to march out of the city. The young King always had a way with words; his ability to heighten the morality of his troops to unbelievable proportions, to rally them against any kind of enemy was a sign of true royalty. He was a definitive and charismatic leader that always got his point across.

Nerevar and the Tribunal led their troops out of the city and across the vast lands of their Kingdom in the direction of Red Mountain. The air seemed thick with anticipation even as an unwelcoming nightly chill came with the wind. They continued walking, up the sloppy hills and through the thin valley that led most directly to their destination, passing more than half-way through the route. The King gazed up at the sky, noticing the early twilight of dawn as all the stars began to disappear one by one from the celestial landscape. He estimated that they will reach their enemy's gates just before the rising sun, which should still hold their element of surprise, and yet not force them to fight in complete darkness.

Just as the King speculated, they soon reached a flat-leveled terrain and the eyes of the Tribunal fell upon the enormous outer gates of Red Mountain in the midst of a dull, treeless landscape. Between the Chimer army and the walls of the Dwemer stronghold stood nothing but an entire mass of constructs, which remained quizzically unmoving in what seemed like a temporary deactivation.

"There must be at least three legions of them…" Dagoth said quietly after a quick survey of the area, narrowing his eyes at the oddly immobile army of mechanic constructs that blocked their way. Other than those guardians, the gates looked completely deserted – there were no Dwemer soldiers amongst them and not even sentinels at the top of the walls. Nerevar glanced up at the slowly brightening sky, noticing the last remaining star shining as brightly as Azura's blessing, before his attention was abruptly brought to one of the tower outposts behind the Dwemer gates.

"You made a terrible mistake coming out here… to _our_ stronghold, Nerevar." It was King Dumac himself, who stood defiantly with several of his generals at the top of the tower, but the Dwemer King's High Priest was surprisingly not by his side.

"And it was your mistake to ever challenge the Chimer." Nerevar replied calmly, gesturing for his troops to spread out into optimal strategic positions on the battlefield, just out of reach of the unmoving constructs.

"Don't make me laugh! We will _crush_ you!" As the ominous exclamation rang through the air, Dumac Dwarf-Orc lifted his golden war-axe above his head, and as if on cue, a deafening screech of metal echoed throughout the battlefield, making the Tribunal take a small step backwards in utter shock at the sight before them.

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**Note****: **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! It's coming to the apex of the story, and the next chapter will probably be the last. Please let me know what you think, and Happy Holidays!


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